Bigger not better: Cooper

Coopers produces 75 million litres of beer a year, which is small compared with big players such as Lion Nathan. Coopers holds a 4.9 per cent share of the Australian beer market.

"You might not be the biggest, but you can be profitable," Mr Cooper said.

"I remember one time Lion Nathan trimmed their marketing budget down by $20m - we don't have that much to spend on marketing, so we had to identify things that others didn't have. They included family ownership and the company history with 152 years of company culture."

The other aspect that differentiated Coopers from the market was its product range of all-natural beers.

"Its 'cloudiness' is something that actually sets Coopers apart," he said.

"We don't use any preservatives or additives, which is important when growing your market share in this country and overseas.

"We also have close product association - there are lots of beers in the market but only our products carry our family name. So we can't afford to throw products at the market that aren't high quality, because it have feel a long-term effect."

There were advantages and disadvantages from this recognition.

"The advantage is that if we release a product, there's the expectation that if it comes from Coopers, it must be good," Mr Cooper said.

"But you need to make sure you meet those expectations or it's a disadvantage."

The family name was a major selling point.

"There's no Mr Lion, there's no Mr Foster or no Mr Kirin, but you can still meet a Cooper."