What Sweet Dee's Jerk does

Sweet Dee's Jerk is a privately held, family-owned British-Caribbean food brand founded in 2017 by brothers Troy and Jarrell Johnson in Tooting, South London. The company operates a multi-channel business model spanning physical food service, home delivery, catering, and retail packaged goods. Its core product is "new-gen" Caribbean cuisine featuring a signature 24-hour marinated jerk chicken grilled over charcoal, served in formats such as bowls (£14), bagels (£10), and wraps (£10.50), alongside vegan jackfruit dishes, sides, Caribbean-inspired beverages, and own-brand sauces. The company runs a flagship concession at the Selfridges Foodhall on Oxford Street, market locations at BOXPARK and Mercato Metropolitano, and delivery kitchens in South London and Dubai's Arjan-Dubailand area (opened November 2024); takeaway and delivery are fulfilled via UberEats, Deliveroo, and Just Eat, supported by a Shopify-based e-commerce site.

The company serves two primary customer segments: individual consumers seeking convenient Caribbean-inspired grab-and-go meals, and corporate clients purchasing catering for office lunches, team events, and cultural occasions. Its enterprise client roster includes Apple, Spotify, TikTok, Pokémon, Amazon, Deloitte, UBS, Sony Music, and the British Film Institute, with high-profile engagements including Sony Music's 50 years of hip-hop celebration and the BFI premiere afterparty for 'The Kitchen'. Sweet Dee's Jerk also monetizes its brand through festival and cultural event appearances (Black Eats London, Chelsea Flower Show, UK Black Business Show, Soho House Festival, Black TechFest) and retail packaged products (signature sauces and cook-at-home meal kits) sold via Selfridges and direct channels. Marketing is driven primarily through organic social channels (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok), a YouTube content series, and event activations rather than paid acquisition. The founders' presence on BBC's MasterChef: The Professionals and a guest chef collaboration with 'Natty Can Cook' further extend brand visibility. The company remains privately held by the Johnson family with no disclosed institutional investment, no parent company, and 1-10 employees per firmographic data.

Name

Sweet Dee's Jerk

Legal name

Sweet Dee's Jerk

Website

https://sweetdeesjerk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sweet Dee's Jerk is a privately held UK-based Caribbean food brand founded in 2017 by the Johnson brothers, operating a multi-channel business across Selfridges Foodhall, market locations, delivery kitchens in South London and Dubai, corporate and private catering, and retail sauces. It serves individual consumers seeking authentic Caribbean grab-and-go meals and enterprise clients including Apple, Spotify, and Amazon.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Food Service: Revenue from food sold at physical locations including Selfridges Foodhall, BOXPARK, and Mercato Metropolitano. Customers purchase ready-to-eat Caribbean-inspired dishes including jerk chicken bowls, wraps, bagels, and sides.
2. Delivery/Takeaway: Online ordering through delivery platforms (UberEats, Deliveroo, Just Eat) for South London and Dubai locations. Orders placed via website or third-party apps for home delivery.
3. Catering Services: Corporate and private event catering services. Menu tailored to client preferences for occasions ranging from office lunches to large-scale cultural events and festivals.
4. Retail Products: Sale of homemade sauces and cook-at-home meal kits through Selfridges and direct channels, extending brand presence beyond restaurant locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Sweet Dee's Jerk is a British-Caribbean restaurant brand that prepares and sells jerk chicken, Caribbean dishes, sides, sauces, and beverages through dine-in restaurant locations (Selfridges Foodhall, BOXPARK, Mercato Metropolitano), home delivery, corporate and private event catering, and retail cook-at-home kits and bottled sauces. The company operates London-based outlets and expanded into Dubai in November 2024.

Product overview

Sweet Dee's Jerk is a UK-based new-age Caribbean food and culture brand operating a multi-channel business model. The core offering is Caribbean fusion cuisine—featuring signature 24-hour marinated jerk chicken, vegan delights (jerk jackfruit, chickpea, sweet potato), sides, sauces, punches, and slushies—served across physical locations (Selfridges Foodhall, BOXPARK, Mercato Metropolitano), delivery kitchens in South London and Dubai, and retail products (sauces, cook-at-home kits). Event catering services for private, corporate, and cultural occasions complement the dine-in and takeaway operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dine-in Restaurant Service Counter-service British-Caribbean restaurant locations in London operating at Selfridges Foodhall, BOXPARK Wembley/Shoreditch, and Mercato Metropolitano, serving jerk chicken classics, vegan dishes, sides, sauces, and beverages to walk-in customers.
• Home Delivery Service Direct-to-consumer food delivery of the full Sweet Dee's Jerk menu (jerk chicken, vegan dishes, sides, sauces, beverages) via third-party platforms UberEats, Deliveroo, and Just Eat across London and selected UAE delivery apps after the Dubai launch.
• Event Catering Service Corporate and private event catering offering jerk chicken bowls, canapés, sides, and bespoke menus for office events, weddings, festivals, and brand activations, led by an in-house Head of Events.
• Cook-at-Home Jerk Kits Retail home cooking kits containing pre-marinated jerk chicken, sides, and the signature Sweet Dee's sauce, sold direct to consumers through the Shopify-hosted online shop for at-home preparation.
• Sweet Dee's Signature Sauces Retail bottled Caribbean sauces, including the brand's signature jerk marinade, sold direct to consumers via the online shop and through select retail partners.
• Dubai Restaurant Operations Sweet Dee's Jerk restaurant and delivery operations in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, extending the British-Caribbean menu to the UAE market in partnership with local operators.

Quantifiable outcome

• First Black-owned Caribbean business in Selfridges Foodhall history
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Sony MusicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSweet Dee's Jerk catered for Sony Music's 'THE MUSIC THAT MADE ME' event celebrating 50 years of hip-hop, featuring guest speakers Avelino, D Double E, ENNY, and Shauni Caballero, with DJ performances and food offerings including mini beef and vegetable patties and callaloo vol-au-vent canapés.
• British Film InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatered for the star-studded premiere of British filmmakers Kibwe Tavares and Daniel Kaluuya's film 'The Kitchen' supported by the British Film Institute. Served signature Jerk Chicken & Chickpea Curry bowls at the afterparty.
• MasterChef: The ProfessionalsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounders Troy and Jarrell Johnson were invited to judge five contenders on BBC's MasterChef: The Professionals Series 16 Episode 14, where contestants operated pop-up restaurants to deliver exceptional plates.
• Natty Can CookminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuest chef collaboration for SDJ Nights private dining experience in celebration of Jamaican Independence. Joint event curated by Natty Can Cook and Executive Chef Jarrell Johnson featuring Jamaican cuisine with cocktails and vibes.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Turtle Bay: UK's largest Caribbean-themed restaurant chain with ~40 sites across the country. Comparable as a UK-focused Caribbean casual-dining operator with a bar and festival heritage, though operating at much larger scale and broader geographic footprint than Sweet Dee's.
• LEON Restaurants: UK fast-casual chain serving healthy grab-and-go meals, bowls, wraps, and bagels with retail product lines. Comparable multi-channel foodservice-plus-CPG model targeting similar urban lunchtime customers.
• Nando's: Largest UK peri-peri chicken quick-service chain with hundreds of locations. Comparable as a UK fast-casual ethnic chicken concept, though much broader scale and specialist in Portuguese-style rather than Caribbean cuisine.
• Wahaca: UK fast-casual Mexican chain with bowls, wraps, and street-food format plus festival/event catering. Comparable London quick-service ethnic cuisine model with multi-channel distribution.

Direct peers

• Island Catering / Island Eats: UK Caribbean catering and event specialist serving corporate clients and private functions. Direct peer in the corporate Caribbean catering segment Sweet Dee's serves.
• Ma Jamaica: Independent London-based Caribbean street food vendor with market-stall presence and catering services. Direct peer competing for the same Caribbean grab-and-go and event-segment customers.
• Roti Joupa: Independent London-based Caribbean food concept serving bowls and wraps with similar grab-and-go format. Direct competitor in the Caribbean quick-service space targeting London office workers and event catering.
• The Rum Kitchen: UK Caribbean restaurant and bar operator with London locations, festival presence, and event catering for brands. Comparable premium-Caribbean positioning and dual restaurant/catering revenue model.
• Caribbean Kitchen (South London takeaways): South London Caribbean takeaway operators serving similar Tooting/Streatham delivery zones via UberEats and Deliveroo. Direct competitor for South London delivery customers.

Emerging players

• Roots and Vibes / Reggae Reggae (Levi Roots brand): UK Jamaican-heritaged food brand extending Caribbean sauces and ready meals into retail (Sainsbury's, Tesco). Comparable retail-product extension of Caribbean cuisine into UK grocery, though consumer-product-focused rather than restaurant-based.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sweetdeesjerk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sweetdeesjerk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sweet Dee's Jerk