THE COCOA BEAN COMPANY LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC285798 · ltd · incorporated 2005-06-06
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Jun 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 10821
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 60-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 60). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 4 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

4 live charges · 4 lenders · oldest 16.0y

15/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 16.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 4 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (77/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 3 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
79 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0Jun 2024Jun 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-06-302024-06-30
Average employees36003600

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

2 signals 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

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
4
filings
  • • 1 resolution
  • • 1 incorporation
  • • 1 capital
Last 180 days
5
filings
  • • 1 resolution
  • • 1 incorporation
  • • 1 capital
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (35 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-04-09
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  2. 2026-03-27
    📄
    memorandum-articles
    incorporation · MA
  3. 2026-03-26
    📄
    capital-variation-of-rights-attached-to-shares
    capital · SH10
  4. 2026-03-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2025-04-09
    📄
    memorandum-articles
    incorporation · MA
  6. 2025-04-09
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  7. 2025-04-08
    📄
    capital-allotment-shares
    capital · SH01
  8. 2025-03-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2024-03-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2023-03-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2022-01-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2021-03-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2020-03-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2020-02-13
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  15. 2019-07-01
    ➖
    BECK, Hannah resigned
    director
  16. 2019-05-17
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  17. 2019-05-17
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  18. 2019-03-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  19. 2016-03-17
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
  20. 2016-03-10
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  21. 2015-11-27
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Both Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank)
  22. 2013-05-28
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  23. 2013-01-01
    ➕
    BECK, Claire appointed
    secretary
  24. 2012-06-30
    ➖
    IRVING, Robert resigned
    director
  25. 2012-02-08
    ➕
    BECK, Hannah appointed
    director
  26. 2010-05-19
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  27. 2009-08-19
    ➕
    IRVING, Robert appointed
    director
  28. 2008-05-31
    ➖
    WHEELER, Martyn Gary resigned
    secretary
  29. 2006-07-26
    ➖
    ABERGAN REED NOMINEES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  30. 2006-07-26
    ➖
    ABERGAN REED LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  31. 2005-10-07
    ➕
    WHEELER, Martyn Gary appointed
    secretary
  32. 2005-06-11
    ➕
    BECK, Claire Louise appointed
    director
  33. 2005-06-06
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As THE COCOA BEAN COMPANY LIMITED
  34. 2005-06-06
    ➕
    ABERGAN REED NOMINEES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  35. 2005-06-06
    ➕
    ABERGAN REED LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

93/100
Critical — business is the founder

The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.

FACTORS
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 21 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 60 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

85/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 60. Early succession window.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • 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

1 med ·
Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mrs Claire Louise Beck
Individual · United Kingdom · DOB 09/1966 · age 60
75–100%
—75-100% shares01/11/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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————38y8062y
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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

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 →
🔒Advanced scoring suite

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

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated2005-06-06
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC10821 — SIC 10821

Registered office

Ashland
Twynholm
Kirkcudbright
DG6 4NP
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-03-31
Last made up to: 2025-06-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-27
Last: 2026-02-13

Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)

BECK, Claire→
secretary · appointed 2013-01-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BECK, Claire Louise→
director · ~60y · appointed 2005-06-11
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WHEELER, Martyn Gary→
secretary · appointed 2005-10-07 · resigned 2008-05-31
Resigned
ABERGAN REED NOMINEES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2005-06-06 · resigned 2006-07-26
Resigned
BECK, Hannah→
director · ~35y · appointed 2012-02-08 · resigned 2019-07-01
Resigned
IRVING, Robert→
director · ~90y · appointed 2009-08-19 · resigned 2012-06-30
Resigned
ABERGAN REED LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2005-06-06 · resigned 2006-07-26
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

4
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank PLC
A registered charge1 property17/03/2016—
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Both Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank)
A registered charge—27/11/2015—
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
A registered charge1 property28/05/201317/05/2019
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Floating charge1 property19/05/201010/03/2016
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (79 total)

resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2026-04-09
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2026-03-27
capital-variation-of-rights-attached-to-shares
capital · SH10
2026-03-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-03-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-18
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2025-04-09
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2025-04-09
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2025-04-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-03-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-03-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-03-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-23