When Jamaican-born entrepreneurs Faith and Hercules Grant stepped into the spotlight on Canada’s Dragons’ Den, they brought with them more than a line of topical pain relief products. Behind their pitch was a story that began over four decades ago in Jamaica, where a chance encounter between two physiotherapists blossomed into a marriage and business partnership that would eventually take them to Canada.
The Edmonton-based couple appeared on Season 21, Episode 2 of CBC’s popular entrepreneurial reality show, which aired on September 24th, 2026, seeking C$250,000 in investment for their company, Tallawah Targeted Relief.
Although they did not secure a deal, their appearance introduced viewers to a couple whose shared journey has included building and selling physiotherapy clinics, developing a new product line and navigating some unexpected turns along the way.
Partners in Love and Business
Long before they were pitching to Canadian investors, Faith and Hercules Grant were pursuing careers in physiotherapy in Jamaica.
During their appearance on Dragons’ Den, Hercules recalled the moment he first spotted Faith at the University Hospital of the West Indies. A physician had brought her onto a balcony when she caught his attention.
He turned to a friend and asked, “Who is that girl?”
It was love at first sight, he told the Dragons, who were charmed by the story.
Their relationship eventually took them to Edmonton, Alberta, where they established their lives and careers. Faith arrived in Canada in 1985, and by the time they appeared on the programme, the couple were preparing to celebrate their 41st wedding anniversary.
Together, they built an extensive career in rehabilitation, establishing and operating several physiotherapy clinics in Edmonton. According to Hercules, they developed and sold two clinics and worked in three others, accumulating decades of experience treating injuries and helping patients manage chronic pain.
Their work also gave them first-hand insight into the challenges patients faced outside the clinic, particularly those dealing with persistent discomfort and recurring injuries.
That experience would eventually inspire their next venture.
How Tallawah Was Born
The idea behind Tallawah Targeted Relief came from an unlikely source.
According to the company’s website, Faith’s uncle in London, England, had developed and patented a formulation originally intended to address hair and scalp conditions, including alopecia.
Faith, drawing on her background in physiotherapy, began exploring whether the formulation could have applications in managing pain and inflammation.
What started as an interest in adapting the formulation for her patients gradually developed into a business opportunity.
The couple established Tallawah Targeted Relief, a line of seven topical products marketed for concerns including arthritis, muscle and joint discomfort, sports recovery and certain skin conditions.
Their goal was to offer consumers products they could use at home, drawing on the knowledge they had accumulated through decades of clinical practice.
The Grants say their development work included testing at Canada’s National Research Council and the University of the West Indies’ nanotechnology research facilities.
While the company promotes the products’ anti-inflammatory properties, Faith acknowledged during their television appearance that they had not conducted clinical studies. She said their work included preclinical testing and met applicable Health Canada requirements.
When Man a Plan, God a Wipe
There’s a popular Jamaican proverb, “When man a plan, God a wipe,” a reminder that no matter how carefully we map out our lives, circumstances can change those plans in an instant.
For Faith Grant, that saying would prove particularly apt as she worked towards bringing Tallawah to market.
In 2015, just as the couple began pursuing the commercial development of their products, Faith was diagnosed with breast cancer. Given a six-year survival prognosis, she put major plans on hold while concentrating on her health.
When she reached that milestone, she revisited the project, reconnecting with the National Research Council to continue developing the products. But further challenges followed, including a brain tumour and a mini-stroke.
Those experiences changed how she thought about the future and the business she had been postponing.
“My takeaway at that third time was, ‘You know what? I’m still here,'” she told the Dragons. “Maybe it’s time to do it. It’s now or never.”
Faith decided she had waited long enough. Her story resonated with Dragon Drew Scott, whose mother had also suffered a mini-stroke. Calling it a warning sign of a potentially more serious stroke, he expressed concern about whether Faith was prioritising her health while running the business.
But Faith was determined not to let these setbacks hold her back. Bringing Tallawah to market was something she had invested years of work in and genuinely loved, driven by her belief that the products could really help people.
Faith and Hercules Grant’s segment begins at 10:56.
TTaking Their Jamaican Brand to the Dragons
With absolute faith and confidence in their products, the Grants saw Dragons’ Den as an opportunity to introduce Tallawah to a national audience. Ahead of their audition, Faith shared her excitement in a LinkedIn post, describing it as an opportunity that “could propel us into exponential growth” and asking friends and supporters to keep the team in their prayers.
The couple eventually entered the Den seeking C$250,000 in exchange for a 12.5 per cent stake in their company.
The Grants were not the only Jamaicans in the Den. Among the Dragons was fellow Jamaican Wesley J. Hall (Wes Hall), a prominent businessman and the 35th Chancellor of the University of Toronto. Born in St. Thomas, Jamaica, Hall migrated to Canada in 1985 at age 16, the same year Faith arrived, a coincidence she pointed out during their exchange.
Hall reflected on the couple’s journey from Jamaica to building businesses in Canada, a path that, in some respects, mirrored his own. He also asked about the name Tallawah, which Faith explained as a Jamaican expression describing someone who is strong, resourceful and not to be underestimated.
Although the Dragons were impressed by the couple’s experience and Arlene Dickinson reported feeling relief after trying one of their products, concerns about the company’s C$2 million valuation ultimately prevented them from securing an investment.
Still, after decades of building businesses together, the Grants were hardly strangers to the challenges of entrepreneurship. And while they left without a deal, their appearance marked another milestone in a journey that began long before Tallawah was conceived.
Still Tallawah, With or Without a Deal
For Faith and Hercules Grant, their Dragons’ Den appearance marked another chapter in a journey that began more than four decades ago in Jamaica. Together, they have built a life, careers and businesses, weathered personal challenges and turned their professional expertise into a new venture.
Their pitch also highlighted the realities of entrepreneurship, where confidence in a product and positive customer feedback do not always translate into investment. Although the Dragons declined to invest, Arlene Dickinson’s enthusiastic response after trying Tallawah offered an encouraging moment, while the national exposure opened the door to potential new customers and future opportunities.
For Faith and Hercules, the journey is far from over. Their story remains a fitting reflection of the Jamaican expression that inspired their brand: Wi likkle but wi tallawah.
Watch Faith and Hercules Grant’s full Dragons’ Den pitch and visit tallawah.ca to learn more about Tallawah Targeted Relief and its products.
