Berkshire brothers celebrate success on Dragons' Den
Twins Luke and Owen Buckmaster successfully pitched their premium brand frozen pizza business to win the support of Peter Jones
Last updated 24th Jan 2025
Maidenhead twin brothers Luke and Owen Buckmaster have taken their business to the next level after securing £90,000 for a 10% stake from entrepreneur Peter Jones on the latest series of Dragons’ Den (aired 16th January 2025).
24-year-old Luke and Owen pitched their business 'Doughboys' and impressed multiple Dragons, resulting in three offers, but it was local business tycoon Peter Jones that the brothers chose.
Luke said: “You watch the show at home and wonder how you’d handle the pressure, but nothing compares to standing there in front of the Dragons for real.
"We felt an immediate surge of adrenaline but also pride in what we’ve built. Hearing their excitement about Doughboys Pizza validated all the sleepless nights and sacrifices we’ve made.
"Walking away with an offer from Peter Jones felt absolutely surreal - we’re proof that with hard work beats any type of qualifications and with a genuine passion, you can bring any dream to life.”
Peter Jones, also from the Maidenhead, expressed an instant connection with the pair. After hearing their impressive growth figures and passion for the product, he stated, “There is no way I can let this go to Deborah Meaden, no chance,” matching Deborah’s offer and sealing the deal.
The boys are now preparing for their first meeting with Peter and his team. Luke said they can't wait to start working with him:
"He's local to us we've known of him we've grown up reading about him we definitely wanted him onboard and we just didn't want to jinx our luck. To receive three offers was amazing and to get Peter onboard was brilliant.
"Once the filming has concluded that's when the due diligence starts with Peter's team and that's been quite a long and extensive process, going forward we've got plans to sit down with Peter and the team and focus on the next stage of the company's growth and to work on the strategy as well so can't wait for that to happen."
Handmade
Launched at the beginning of 2020, Doughboys Pizza initially catered to pubs and restaurants struggling with chef shortages, supplying premium ready-made frozen pizzas and pizza bases, handmade in Italy. Despite starting with just £10,000 each - earned through hospitality, supermarket and admin jobs - Luke and Owen quickly scaled the business to serve over a thousand venues across the UK, including Chelsea FC, the NHS, Holiday Inn, Greene King Pubs, and CitizenM Hotels.
With turnover growing from £320,000 in Year 1 to £1.8 million in 2024, the Buckmasters have also picked up six industry awards, reached the finals of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards (2021), and now supply Ocado in the UK and Spinneys in the UAE.
To find out more about the business click here