Dragons’ Den: Where to buy Tasty Mates sweets, Randy Cow swim shorts, Mull and Cook My Grub
Four new entrepreneurs walk into the den this week seeking cash from the fire-breathing dragons
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.It was almost a clean sweep for the businesses who featured in Dragons’ Den last week. A chocolate bar stuffed with crisps was the only startup to miss out on investment when Peter Jones decided to think with his brain instead of his stomach.
In tonight’s show, four new entrepreneurs take a trip up the famous elevator to pitch for investment. The startups include everything from gourmet gummy sweets with a bit of personality and a company turning plastic waste into pretty products to a delivery meals business that’s putting home cooks in the centre and a cheeky beachwear brand.
So far this series, we’ve seen everything from guided journals in episode six, edible greeting cards safe for dogs to eat in episode seven, garden glamping pods in episode two and cacao that tastes better than hot chocolate in episode four. Below, we’ve rounded up all of the businesses seen in tonight’s episode of the hit business show, and where you can buy their products.
Tasty Mates sweets: £2.49, Hollandandbarrett.com
London-based Joe Woolf is the first entrepreneur to walk into the den this week. The co-founder of Tasty Mates, which makes gourmet gummy sweets bursting with personality, received a bit of a grilling from the dragons in the den on the company’s branding, but will that stop them from investing?
Launched in 2021, Tasty Mates makes a range of vegan and gluten-free sweets that are made with natural flavours and colourings. The brand says that its gummies have a softer chew to remove that sticky feeling in your teeth, but you can shove them in the fridge for a chewier bite.
Available to buy at Holland & Barrett, Ocado and Amazon, Tasty Mates has four different flavours of sweet that represent a familiar personality trait found in friendship groups. There’s the berry funny one (£2.49, Hollandandbarrett.com), which has a mixed berry flavour; the salty one (£2.49, Hollandandbarrett.com), which has a salted caramel flavour; the one with the juicy peach (£2.49, Hollandandbarrett.com), which has a peach and cream flavour; and the perfect pear (£12.35 for a pack of 10, Amazon.co.uk), which has a pear crumble flavour.
Read more: M&S’s Easter collection includes a chocolate cow
Mull Club recycled products: Mull-club.co.uk
Next up in the den is Charlie Rudkin-Wilson, the founder of Müll Club, a community-based recycling business that’s on a mission to get the public to see plastic as a material and not waste. The company turns plastic waste in the UK into colourful, long-lasting products. Products that Steven Bartlett admitted were “beautiful” during Rudkin-Wilson’s pitch.
The Müll Club, which is the German word for rubbish, was launched in 2022, and while the business started out in South East London, people can now recycle their unwanted plastic with Müll from right across the UK. It sells unique rings, soap dishes, combs, coasters and candle holders, made with everything from Vanish and Calpol to Lurpak and takeout cutlery.
Anyone in the UK can recycle with Mull Club. You join the club, order a recycling bag, fill it up with plastic waste, and then book a Royal Mail collection on the Mull Club hub. Your plastic waste will then be turned into pretty products.
Read more: These eco-friendly cleaning products helped me cut down on plastic
Cook My Grub meal delivery service: Flavers.uk
The next set of entrepreneurs to enter the den this week are Shabbir Mookhtiar and Dinesh Patil, the co-founders of a home-cooked ready meal delivery service who want to disrupt the food and takeaway industry. But were the flavours enough to entice the dragons to come onboard?
Launched in 2021, Cook My Grub, which has recently re-branded itself as Flavers, is an app that offers up home-made ready meals, authentically cooked by home chefs from that dish’s region that are delivered to your door. There are more than 15 different cuisines to choose from, and over 500 dishes.
So, how does it work? You pick your cuisine on a JustEat-style app, pick a delivery date (it’s not like Deliveroo – you don’t get your food straight away), your chef prepares your chosen dish from their kitchen at home, and it’s then packaged up individually and delivered to your door, all ready to be re-heated and eaten.
Order now from Flavers (previously Cook My Grub) now
Read more: Best recipe boxes and meal delivery services in the UK
Randy Cow swim shorts: From £65, Johnlewis.com
Last but not least, we have Dave Weller, the founder of the cheeky beachwear brand Randy Cow, hoping to impress the dragons with his funky, tongue-in-cheek swim shorts that feature waterproof pockets.
Launched in 2019, Randy Cow sells two kinds of colourful swim shorts with different prints and patterns. There are the shorts with waterproof pockets that keep your belongings dry in depths of up to 30m, and then there are the normal shorts with non-waterproof pockets. The brand also sells matching sets for fathers and sons.
All of Randy Cow’s shorts are made from 90 per cent recycled polyester and 10 per cent spandex. Weller says that there are approximately 12 plastic bottles repurposed into each pair of adult shorts, and gives 1 per cent of all sales to environmental organisation 1% for the Planet. Sold at John Lewis & Partners, the men’s shorts with waterproof pockets cost £85, while the non-waterproof shorts cost £65.
Read more: Best swimming ear plugs, tested and reviewed
Voucher codes
For the latest discounts on the best gadgets, try the links below:
Looking to ditch single-use plastics? These are our favourite reusable water bottles