COOPERS Brewery is a business that has seen its fair share of challenges, and chairman Glenn Cooper says its struggles are not dissimilar to those farmers face.
Mr Cooper - the fifth generation of his family involved with the company - was a guest speaker at the GRDC farm business update at Adelaide Convention Centre on Thursday last week.
Coopers is the sole major brewer owned 100 per cent by Australians, but it has taken a strong succession plan to ensure continuing family ownership.
"Back in 1909 the family could see there would be an issue with succession," Mr Cooper said.
Thomas Cooper - the founder of the company - had 19 children from two wives, so handing down the family business was always going to be tricky.
So the company created 3000 A-class shares, held by family members of the first wife and 3000 B-class shares for the family of the second wife.
Both the A shares and the B shareholders had two seats on the Coopers board.
C shares were also created that were transportable shares among the family but offered no seats on the board.
Because it is a publicly unlisted company, the general public cannot buy Coopers shares.
"The only way to gain Coopers shares is to marry a Cooper," Mr Cooper said.
"We have structures in place that mean shares can't be sold off."
When Lion Nathan attempted a hostile takeover of Coopers, the structure that was set up in 1909 helped keep the company in the family.
"It's an important structure that worked from the beginning," Mr Cooper said.
"Everything was put down in the document, so there couldn't be any arguments."
* Full report in Stock Journal, November 20, 2014 issue.