Island Diaz Spiced Rum

Hayden Currie and Christopher Jacks
Toronto, ON

The pitch

Hayden Currie and Christopher Jacks from Toronto, ON, pitched Island Diaz Spiced Rum in Season 17, Episode 8, asking the Dragons for $100K for 20% of the company.

Asked for$100K for 20%
Valuation$500Kimplied by the ask
OutcomeNo deal

Offers in the Den

Dragon	Offer	Result
Robert Herjavec	Out - unclear whether investing in a rum company or a digital content company	Out
Arlene Dickinson	Out - pitch was unfocused, too much emphasis on content rather than the rum itself	Out
Manjit Minhas	Out - lack of focus, product easily copied	Out
Vincenzo Guzzo	Out - no strategic plan to build the brand	Out
Michele Romanow	Out - brand and story did not come through despite liking the taste	Out

Hayden Currie and Chris Jacks, from Toronto, ON, asked for $100,000 for 20% of Island Diaz Spiced Rum. The company makes a spiced rum produced at Hayden Currie's microdistillery in Toronto's west end, sold at $37.95 a bottle with a cost of $9 a bottle to make. The rum is sold in the LCBO and in Alberta, and the company has generated just over $80,000 in sales since starting. The founders also produce video content and characters built around the brand, describing the venture as combining rum-making with filmmaking.

All five Dragons declined to invest. Robert Herjavec was unclear on whether he would be investing in a rum company or a content company. Arlene Dickinson felt the pitch was unfocused and too centered on content rather than the rum. Manjit Minhas said the product lacked a clear differentiator and could easily be copied. Vincenzo Guzzo felt there was no strategic plan to build the brand, and Michele Romanow said the brand and story did not come through despite liking the taste. There was no deal.

Pitch details from CBC’s Dragons’ Den pitch page.