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From pub manager to business owner

When the pub Damann worked at for the last 10 years and managed for the last two became available he jumped at the opportunity to take it on as his own independent business.

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Mansfield community pub The Brown Cow has long been a part of the lives of Jonathan and Matthew Taylor and Damann Nichols - so when the trio had the opportunity to become business owners of the popular real ale and live music venue, they leapt at the chance.

Jonathan, who has worked in the pub industry for 34 years, has been at The Brown Cow for 10 years and ran the pub for the last two years for the previous business owner. Meanwhile, his brother Matthew, together with his partner Damann, had been regular customers since 2013.

"When this pub reopened with Everards in 2013 (it was previously owned by Marston's) myself and my partner Matthew were among the first patrons and our dog was one of the first pub dogs to come in here, so it's a place that's very special to us,” says Damann.

"When we found out there was an opportunity to take on the running of the business, we jumped at that opportunity. Myself and Matthew live between here and the US (where Matthew currently is) so we had to think hard about how that would work. I only have compliments to say about Everards because they were great throughout the whole process, talking about the feasibility of it, and really supporting us to follow our passion."

"Over the past 10 years it's been fantastic working with Everards," adds Jonathan. "Some Everards staff live nearby so they come in here, which is nice. I've been up to Everards Meadows a few times and that's got a nice family feel.”

"Everards felt very aligned with what we were doing - brothers running the pub, and having staff that feel like family. Partnering with a business that's so family-driven felt right," continues Damann, whose background is in retail and people management.

Since taking over The Brown Cow in early January, the trio haven't made any changes, because, as Jonathan says: "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

"We don't do food and there's no Sky Sports. It's all about real ale and live music - and it works for us. The pub's doing really well," he says.

"It's been successfully running for the past 11 going on 12 years, and this is probably the best the pub has ever been, since Jonathan and the team have really taken it to the next level. People love it. We adore it and we're so proud of it," says Damann, adding that the regulars love the traditional cask ale. "It's a rotating selection, which keeps our patrons very happy because they never know what's going to be on."

"Every Friday we have 11 beers to choose from and that's just cask ale," explains Jonathan. "We have three craft beers and a good selection of everything else. We get a lot from Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire and of course Everards in Leicestershire. We've always got Tiger - that's our mainstay, which we sell a lot of."

The Brown Cow has two distinctive areas downstairs - a tap room, which has a modern industrial aesthetic, and a cosy lounge area, complete with log fires. There is also the 'Cow Shed' upstairs, which is available for private hire. The men's toilets are something of a talking point - being complete with beer cask urinals, in a quirky nod to the pub's status as a real ale hotspot.

The pub holds two beer festivals a year as well as regular live music nights, including the weekly 'Sunday Social'. Other events in the diary for 2025 include music festivals, quiz nights, a poetry night, and visits from street food vendors.

When asked what the best thing is about running a pub, Jonathan says it's the rapport that he builds with customers. "I love talking to people, whether it's customers I've known for years or new customers. We tell our staff to have that banter, have a laugh with everybody and make them feel welcome as soon as they come in. I love doing what I do and that's why I've been doing it so long."

"I really enjoy looking after the team because when you've got a happy team, you've got happy customers," says Damann. "We all work hard, but we all love what we do."

Interested in running a pub? Give us a call on 0116 201 4260 or get in touch here.

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