$1Mfor 10%
Protein Candy
Valued at $10M
The pitch
Jeff Salem from Brampton, ON, pitched Salem’s Lott Scary Hot Sauces in Season 15, Episode 7, asking the Dragons for $75K for 25% of the company.
- Asked for$75K for 25%
- Valuation$300Kimplied by the ask
- OutcomeDealwith Manjit Minhas
- Final deal$75K for 35%valued at $214K
Offers in the Den
| Dragon | Offer | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Vincenzo Guzzo | $125,000 for 50% | Declined |
| Arlene Dickinson | Too early stage, too competitive, not enough proof of concept | Out |
| Lane Merrifield | Could not see the vision | Out |
| Jim Treliving | Good offer already on table, chose not to compete | Out |
| Manjit Minhas | $75,000 for 35% | Accepted |
Jeff Salem, from Brampton, ON, asked for $75,000 for 25% of Salem's Lott Scary Hot Sauces, a line of all-natural, preservative-free gourmet hot sauces sold wholesale for $6.00 to $6.25 and retailing for $8.99 to $9.99. Products cost between $2.35 and $3.00 to make, and one variety placed first out of 600 entries at the ZestFest hot sauce competition in Texas. By the end of 2019 the company had gross sales of about $75,000 with net income of approximately $45,000, and the product was sold in about 30 stores including through a relationship with a Whole Foods grocery buyer.
Vincenzo Guzzo offered $125,000 for 50%. Arlene Dickinson and Lane Merrifield went out citing early stage and lack of differentiation or vision, and Jim Treliving went out due to the existing offer. Manjit Minhas offered $75,000 for 35%, which Jeff Salem accepted over Vincenzo Guzzo's higher-money offer.
Pitch details from CBC’s Dragons’ Den pitch page.
Salem’s Lott Scary Hot Sauces today
- StatusIn businessLast checked September 2026
Salem’s Lott Scary Hot Sauces is still operating and sells through its website.