BROWN COW ORGANICS LIMITED
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
- 10519SIC 10519
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Same-surname younger director in place — likely family handover, not open to sale. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -47% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 12.6y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 12.6 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredKey financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £200.0k | £170.0k |
| Current assets | £239.4k | £288.0k |
| Cash | £40.9k | £76.6k |
| Debtors | £182.7k | £157.0k |
| Net assets | £157.3k | £128.5k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
1 signal detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Recent activity
- • 1 accounts
Corporate timeline (21 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-10-29📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-12-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-01-11📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2022-01-11📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2022-01-11📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2022-01-01➕FREANE, Naomi appointeddirector
- 2021-12-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-10-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-12-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-12-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2013-10-22🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2005-07-21🏢Company incorporatedAs BROWN COW ORGANICS LIMITED
- 2005-07-21➕FREANE, Judith Karen appointedsecretary
- 2005-07-21➕FREANE, Clive Norman appointeddirector
- 2005-07-21➕FREANE, Judith Karen appointeddirector
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 21 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
Some succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
- primaryFamily succession underway: Not a takeover target — FREANE, Naomi (same surname) appointed 2022-01-01. Pattern consistent with intra-family handover.
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 65. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 21 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 21 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanShareholders & ownership
3 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Naomi Kathleen Kuma Individual · British · DOB 03/1995 · age 31 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 01/01/2022 |
Mr Clive Norman Freane Individual · British · DOB 04/1961 · age 65 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board controlsig. influence25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control · significant influence · firm interest | 01/07/2016 |
Mrs Judith Karen Freane Individual · British · DOB 03/1962 · age 64 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 01/07/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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7 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Company details
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (4 active · 0 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 22/10/2013 | — |