by Rachel Ogbu//

In 2015, Nigerian-British Chika Russell made headlines across the UK for not just impressing the five judges to win Dragons Den, but for turning down one of the judges £30,000 investment in her Nigerian-inspired snacks firm and deciding to launch her business by herself.

Now her business is worth an impressive £1million and she owns it 100% after judge Peter Jones offered £30000 in exchange for a 25% ownership. Russell wanted to release only 5% of Chika’s Snacks which include plantain and chickpea crisps so she refused the deal and it paid off.

The 32-year-old former investment banker explained her reason for refusing the mouth watering deal at the time. “Waitrose were coming on board and Boots had expressed an interest. I thought: ‘This could be global.’ I felt if I had Peter Jones on board, then if Sainsbury’s showed interest I would have thought it was due to him. It wouldn’t be as rewarding.’

Chika Russell has UK largest retail food brands Waitrose and Whole Food among her stockists. She first started stocking products which included hand cooked plantain, chickpea crisps and nuts (from recipes she learnt in her hometown in Anambra State Nigeria) at the Hotel Café Royal in Central London. “These are the foods of my childhood in Nigeria and I wanted people in the UK to experience the same great flavours that I got to enjoy growing up,” she told FEMAIL.

Describing the ethos of www.chikas.co.uk, she said:

‘Our products are super nutritious. All of our products are made from simple wholesome ingredients. Plantains, almonds, cashews, chickpeas and peanuts individually form the basis for our entire range.

‘Nothing made in a lab and so you get products as nature intended with a little help of my creative side.’

Currently there are eight different products in the Chika’s range and there are plans to expand the offerings further.

‘Expect something sweet and something spicy and something zesty,’ the entrepreneur revealed.

Chika Russell is married with two children, Chialuka and Zanni. Earlier this year, she joined exhibitors at World Travel Catering and Onboard Services Expo in Hamburg hoping to introduce her products to airlines. “Entering the airline space is just an evolution of where our business needs to be a global player,” she says.