He's given us Reggae Reggae sauces, ketchup, relishes, cooking sauces, ready meals, soft drinks, pizza, cookbooks and even a music festival so it was only a matter of time before Levi Roots put his name to crisps.

Rolling out later this month to Tesco nationwide, the hand-cooked Levi Roots' Reggae Reggae crisps come in two flavours, Reggae Reggae and Caribbean Chilli Beef, and will be sold in 150g bags (rsp: £1.79) to tap into demand for sharing products.

The 'groove-cut' snacks also target the growing market for ridged and crinkle-cut crisps and follow the launch of Walkers Crinkles this April.

"The crisps cater for consumers looking to discover new flavours and represent everything people love about Reggae Reggae: spice, sharing and socialising," said Melvin Glynn, MD of Burts Chips, which is making the range under licence.

Despite its expansion into a wide range of product categories, there was no sign that Roots who got his break following an appearance on Dragons' Den or the Reggae Reggae brand were being over-extended, said branding expert Kate Waddell.

"Roots has been a phenomenon in terms of the speed and extent of brand stretch," said Waddell, MD of consumer brands at Dragon Rouge.

"He's hit the zeitgeist of the past few years a personal story, authenticity, provenance and the consumer desire to support the underdog. In many ways, the nature of the brand lends itself to suggesting new occasions and food partners both in terms of the entrepreneurial spirit and also the taste of Reggae Reggae sauce."

Read more
Acid Test: Levi Roots Caribbean Crush (21 May 2011)
Levi Roots grows his empire with Vimto soft drinks link-up (12 March 2011)
Sandwiches get Levi Roots treatment (11 September 2010)

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