The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission. Why trust us?
Dragons’ Den: Where to buy Full Power Cacao, ear seeds and more
We also saw a cosy cinema pod startup and a match-worn football boots reseller in the episode
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.The BBC had been teasing it for months. For the first time in Dragons’ Den history, a celebrity guest entered the den and became an honorary dragon.
Former England footballer turned businessman Gary Neville was the newest investor in the line-up, but he didn’t pull any punches. Neville delivered the killer blow to the entrepreneur of a match-worn football boots startup. But he also brought a rare glimmer of kindness to the den, offering up both his advice and his cash to all four businesses in the episode, which first aired on 18 January.
Three businesses walked out of the den with an injection of cash, including a full-power cacao company, an acupuncture ear seeds brand (who has since found itself at the centre of a media storm) and a startup that produces cosy cinema pods. They join the founders of an organic skincare brand and a luxury glamping business, who both won a dragons’ backing the week before.
If you’re curious to try cacao or even the cosy cinema pods and Henri’s match-worn boots, we’ve rounded up everything you need to know about the businesses in week three’s episode and where to buy their products.
Full Power Cacao: From £8, Amazon.co.uk
Maybe one of the most likeable entrepreneurs ever to enter the den, self-confessed spiritual healer Liam Browne’s cup of ceremony-grade cacao got the dragons so calm and enthused for his business that almost every single one of them wanted to invest in his business. But in the end, Steven Bartlett, Peter Jones and Gary Neville were the ones lucky enough to drink down the Venezuelan chocolate.
Described by Bartlett as “hot chocolate, but stronger”, the Manchester-based Full Power Cacao is shipped in from family farmers in Venezuela, then “blessed” in Manchester. Cacao is basically a darker, stronger form of chocolate. It’s the bean that chocolate comes from before it’s processed into your favourite Cadbury bar. Cacao is considered a superfood with antioxidants, flavonoids and other compounds.
Full Power Cacao sells its cacao powder in different sizes on both its website and Amazon. You can buy a 100g bag (£8, Amazon.co.uk), a 200g bag (£15, Amazon.co.uk), a 500g bag (£30, Amazon.co.uk), a 1kg bag (£50, Amazon.co.uk), as well as cacao beans (£8, Fullpowercaco.com) that you can snack on, cacao palo santo calming sticks (£3, Fullpowercacao.com) and cacao ornamental pods (£40, Fullpowercacao.com).
Read more: The best chocolate gifts for any occasion
Acu Seeds ear seeds: £30, Acuseeds.co.uk
The dragons were absolutely enamoured with Giselle Boxer and her acupuncture-inspired health and wellness brand Acu Seeds, which produces ear seed kits that the company claims helps relieve pain. She had every dragon fighting to invest in her business, but in the end, it was Steven Bartlett who won the negotiations, despite asking for the highest percentage. It meant that Boxer became the first entrepreneur ever to have six dragons offer up their money.
Launched in the wake of Boxer’s diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome, Acu Seeds makes ear seeds with a twist. Used in traditional Chinese medicine, Acu Seed claims that ear seeds are a “needle-free form of auriculotherapy” and says that they stimulate different parts of the ear to relieve “anxiety, stress, headaches, digestion, immunity and focus”.
Boxer’s ear seeds are gold or silver-plated, making them look more fashionable than regular ear seeds. They cost £30, and you can buy a rolling monthly ear seed subscription refill pack for £17 or a standalone refill pack that lasts either three, six or 12 months. There isn’t enough research into ear seeds to confirm their efficacy, but some small studies have indicated they may help with insomnia and pain.
Update 30 January 2024: On 26 January, the BBC removed this episode from iPlayer while it conducted a review following complaints from health groups about the claims that ear seeds cured Boxer from myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), made during the episode.
On 28 January, the BBC re-uploaded an edited version of the episode to iPlayer. During Boxer’s pitch, a text disclaimer reads: “Acu Seeds are not intended as a cure for any medical condition and advice should always be sought from a qualified healthcare provider about any health conditions.”
Read more: The best supplements to take according to experts
Cosy Cinema: Cosycinema.com
Married couple John and Sian Colderley had to be extremely flexible in agreeing to adapt their entire business model in order to entice some dragons to come onboard their cosy cinema pods, but needs must, and it did the job. The pair managed to secure the backing of Gary Neville and Touker Suleyman, who paired up to invest in Cosy Cinema.
The dragons thought that Cosy Cinema could work better as a modular scheme for an affordable home project, rather than a room to stream movies in. Launched during lockdown, the Cardiff-based business makes cosy pods that people can watch films, TV shows and their favourite sports in, as well as game in.
Each pod contains a 93in screen, king size bed, air conditioning and heating, a full sound system and snacks, drinks and goodies as an extra. The business will open up sites in Newport, Coventry and Swansea throughout 2024, with booking currently available for its Cardiff and Dinas Powys sites now. A three-hour screening cost £55 and an overnight showing costs between £138 and £162.
Read more: The best streaming services to subscribe to in 2024
BC Boots: Bcboots.uk
We love it when a pitch gets the dragons off their feet and looking silly. In tonight’s episode, guest dragon Gary Neville headed in goal to save penalties from Peter Jones, Sara Davies and Touker Suleyman, but he was also the one to land the final blow to Ben Childs’ match-worn boots reselling business, telling him that footballers don’t like people profiting from their kit.
While the founder of BC Boots ended up without any backing in the form of cash, Neville did ask Childs to come and visit him afterwards, telling the founder that he knew that he and other players would rather their boots get sold to him over anyone else.
BC Boots sells match-worn football boots and gloves from some of the most famous players in the world. Impossible to find on the high street, there are boots from Son Heung-Min, Steven Gerard, Trent Alexander-Arnold and more. The boots cost several-thousand pounds each, and they all come with a certificate of authenticity to guarantee their legitimacy. We went searching for a pair of Gary Neville’s boots on the site, but came up empty-handed.
Read more: Best kids’ football boots for your little kicker
Voucher codes
For the latest discounts on tech, home appliances and more, try the links below:
Missed out on last week’s episode? Catch up on all the businesses in our week two round-up