Birmingham father-son duo Ivor and Eugene Patterson secured a £50,000 investment from Steven Bartlett on Dragons' Den for their flavoured water brand Revibed Drinks, after an emotional pitch that saw them break down in tears. The episode aired on Thursday, September 10, and saw the pair reveal that Eugene's dad had recently suffered a heart attack, making the moment especially meaningful.
The pair entered the Den seeking £50,000 for 15% equity in their brand, which they described as "a brand on a mission to make hydration with heritage." Eugene explained how the business began after he grew up watching his father make hibiscus tea in their kitchen, and rediscovered the taste and recipe while backpacking around Asia.
"I knew at this point that potentially one day we could create something special," he said. "I then returned from my travels in the heights of the pandemic and started to reimagine my father's hibiscus tea recipe by making a lightly-sparkling, refreshing beverage that is made with natural-derived ingredients, zero sugar, less than 10 calories per can, without compromising on taste and tradition."
Dragons' Den pitch and warnings
After tasting the product and hearing more about the family business, Dragon Peter Jones issued a stark warning: "This is such a brutally tough industry you're entering. It's a bit like the London Underground in rush hour, it's tough." He went on to express concerns about the pair's plans to expand into powders, saying, "You're recognising how hard it is because now you're moving to powders. What happens here typically then is, you've now got a complete lack of focus in the business, being completely open with you. I'm sad to say that I think you're really up against it here."
As a result, Peter backed out of investing, but the duo still managed to impress one Dragon. Guest Dragon Jenna Meek praised them: "Keep going, you're amazing, and you're both going to succeed, but I am out, and wish you the best of luck." Touker Suleyman also declined, saying, "Eugene and Ivor, you've really stepped up well today; however, it's not an investment that I can see at least getting my money back for five years or more, and you're going to need a lot more money. I think eventually, you'll need over £1million to keep a brand. That journey to me is a little bit further than I want to go, so for that reason I'm out."
Emotional reveal and investment
Deborah Meaden quickly followed suit, leaving Steven with the final decision. He told the entrepreneurs: "I hope you're proud of yourself, Eugene." Eugene replied, "It's a pleasure to be here with my dad today; this is a moment I wanted to cherish with him."
Eugene then revealed his dad had suffered a heart attack recently, and the family had faced a "difficult" year, sharing how much it meant to be in the Den together that day. After hearing that Steven would offer what Eugene and Ivor were asking for, they broke down in tears.
"I can't believe it," they said, admitting it was an "emotional" moment. After sharing the news of their pitch on social media, Ivor and Eugene received support from fans. One fan replied: "Can't wait to watch!!! How amazing!! Well done," as another said: "Amazing well done."
Social media announcement and next steps
In their social media post, the pair shared: "You're not going to believe this, Dad… We've been keeping the biggest secret of our journey for over a year… but we can finally tell you: WE'RE GOING ON DRAGONS' DEN! Five years ago, Revibed began in our family kitchen. Since then, we've experienced incredible highs, difficult lows, and moments when we questioned whether we could keep going. But through it all, we kept believing. Eventually, we walked into the Den together as father and son to pitch everything we've built to five of the country's biggest business names."
The investment will support existing retail listings, fulfill orders, and expand from the core range into new product development, such as powders. Dragons' Den is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
