Product Update

Is Rocktails Still in Business? (2026 Update)

Is Rocktails from Dragons’ Den still around in 2026? The deal it made, the dragons who invested, and where to buy Rocktails today.

Dragons' Den IndexUpdated 27 April 20266 min read

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Rocktails is one of those Dragons' Den stories where the on-air handshake is not actually the end of the tale. Two Cardiff graduates pitched their frozen cocktail pouches in series 10, got Dragons fighting to invest, and then walked away from the money entirely. Years on, the brand is still very much alive, just not because of anything that happened in the Den.

The Short Answer

Yes, Rocktails is still in business. The frozen drinks brand sells through its own website and a growing list of premium stockists, including names like Harrods, Fortnum & Mason and Selfridges. It is one of the clearer survival stories to come out of the show, even though the founders never actually took the Dragons' money.

The Pitch

Founders Naomi Kibble and Helen McAvoy, two graduates from Cardiff, brought their artisan frozen cocktail pouches into the Den in series 10, episode 12. Filed under Liquor & Alcohol, the product was simple to grasp on sight: a pouch you freeze, then partially thaw to drink as a slushy style cocktail, made with natural ingredients rather than syrupy mixers.

They asked for £80,000 in exchange for 40 percent of the business, a fairly steep equity stake that put the company's on-paper valuation at £200,000.

The Deal, and the U-Turn

On air, Rocktails landed interest from more than one Dragon, and reporting from the time says Peter Jones and Duncan Bannatyne agreed to put up the full £80,000 for the 40 percent stake the founders asked for. It looked, in the moment, like a clean win.

It did not stay that way. After filming wrapped, Kibble and McAvoy decided the offer undervalued what they had built and turned it down. That is a less common move than accepting, but not a rare one. A significant share of Dragons' Den deals never make it past the post-filming due diligence, and here the founders themselves were the ones who pulled out.

What Happened After Filming

Rather than take the investment, Rocktails went and signed a supply deal with Sainsbury's, which put the product into more than 100 stores within months of the episode airing. That single retail relationship did more for the brand's reach than the Den investment likely would have.

Since then the brand has moved further upmarket. Its stockists page now lists a range of premium retailers, and the drinks appear at outlets including Harrods, Fortnum & Mason, Selfridges and Wholefoods, alongside its own direct-to-consumer website.

Where Things Stand Now

To recap: Rocktails pitched in series 10 asking for £80,000 for 40 percent, had that offer matched on air, then declined it after filming in favour of an independent deal with Sainsbury's. That is worth knowing if you assumed the company's success traces back to a Dragon's cheque. It does not.

What matters for anyone asking the headline question is simpler. The brand is still trading, still selling frozen cocktail pouches, and has moved into some of the most recognisable retail names in the UK. Whatever happened in the boardroom, the business itself is doing fine.

Why Turning Down the Dragons Worked

It is worth sitting with why this particular walk-away paid off, because it does not always. Kibble and McAvoy had a genuine alternative lined up in the form of retail interest, which is the key difference between a founder who can afford to negotiate and one who cannot. Declining an offer with nothing else in the pipeline is a gamble. Declining an offer because a supermarket deal is already close is a calculated trade.

The other factor in their favour was category fit. Frozen cocktail pouches sit well in premium food halls and specialist drinks retailers, a channel that rewards a distinctive, well packaged product more than it rewards deep-pocketed marketing spend. That gave Rocktails a realistic route to the shelves the brand ended up on without needing a Dragon's cheque to get there.

Common Questions

Did Rocktails accept a deal on Dragons' Den? Not in the end. Two Dragons matched the founders' £80,000 ask for 40 percent on air, but the founders declined the investment after filming.

Is Rocktails still selling today? Yes, the brand is active online and through a growing list of premium retailers including Harrods, Fortnum & Mason and Selfridges.

Why did Rocktails turn down the Dragons? The founders felt the offer undervalued the business and instead signed a supply deal with Sainsbury's shortly after the episode aired.

Where to buy Rocktails

Still selling as of 27 April 2026. Check today's price and availability.

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See the full Rocktails deal breakdown and term sheet →