Giulia Berretti, founder of the pasta company Sunny and Luna, was rejected by all five Dragons in 2024. Now her business is forecast to exceed £1million in revenue in 2026.
Rejection and Refocus
Berretti was invited to appear on Dragons' Den by the BBC in 2024, but the pitch did not go well. 'The business is not what it is today,' she told Metro over Zoom. 'It was a very young business… I wasn't ready. I think the mission of Sunny and Luna was not clear enough, and I think my pitching wasn't strong enough. That was the issue.'
These issues led to Berretti leaving the den without an investor. Despite the disappointment, she remained dedicated to her mission of bringing Italian food into the 21st Century. 'It was really disappointing,' she admitted, adding that this is part of being in business. 'This is the nature of an entrepreneur. I was just like, "I need to get the yes from the consumer", which is more important, right? I need to sell this product, so that's what I did.'
From One Pallet to a Full Truck
Berretti said she would thank the Dragons for rejecting her business, as it pushed her to make it a success. 'I think getting a no from them and getting their feedback at the time helped me refocus on what I needed to do and work harder,' she explained.
Sunny and Luna has grown from just over £100k revenue in its first full year to a business forecast to exceed £1million in 2026. '[Gross revenue] is definitely gonna be over £1million,' Berretti said. 'We don't know exactly, but definitely over £1million. When I went to the Dragons, we were probably doing like one pallet a month, and now we do like 30 pallets. It's almost a full truck to give you an idea of volumes. Since September last year we have sold 320,000 packs of gnocchi. It's fantastic!'
'I think some people get a no and say "okay". I can't. I keep going… I was like, you know what? If the Dragons say no, you just go back to work harder and harder.'
Advice for Future Pitchers
Berretti's pasta is now stocked in more than 400 locations, including Sainsbury's, Ocado and Planet Organic. Her advice to would-be investors facing the Dragons: 'Prepare, prepare, prepare,' she laughed. 'Prepare for any possible scenario because what you see on screen is 15 to 10 minutes, but you can stay [in the Den] for three hours.'
'They can ask you so many questions, and so you really need to prepare your mission, your numbers, and know your pitch. I think I underestimated that, and maybe we went again in 2025 or this year, I think I would probably have a different outcome.'
Future Plans
Berretti is focused on the future and knows exactly where Sunny and Luna will be in five years. 'We are trying to bridge old Italian food with new, healthy, functional food. So right now we have gnocchi sauces, but you know, potentially we could do, like, tiramisu. We could do, you know, like a lasagna.'
'I really want to recreate this Italian food for people who have no time to cook, but want something healthy and decent to eat. We want to give them the Italian experience, but with all the healthy benefits.'
