Coopers Brewery is celebrating its 150th anniversary this month
... and is already setting its sights on the future. In April 2012 Australia’s biggest independent brewer bought America’s largest home-brew brand, consolidating its position as leader of the global home-brew market.
Coopers revealed on 25 April 2012 that it has acquired Mr Beer, a company based in the U.S. state of Arizona.
Coopers is already the world’s largest producer of home-brew concentrates and distributes do-it-yourself beer kits and accessories to more than 20 countries.
Scott Harris, Coopers’ Marketing Manager of brewing products, said Mr Beer sold brewing kits, concentrates and accessories to more than 14,000 U.S. stores and directly to consumers online.
Coopers has not disclosed how much it paid for Mr Beer, but Mr Harris said it was a multi-million-dollar deal.
He described it as the first major international acquisition by the Adelaide-based brewer in nearly 30 years.
"It is expected to be profitable immediately and will open new opportunities for Coopers in the American market," Mr Harris said.
Coopers will retain the Mr Beer brand, but U.S. customers would notice some subtle changes aimed at improving the quality of the beer, such as replacing the malt extracts.
The company says that Mr Beer sold more than 200,000 home brewing kits last year and there are no signs of that demand waning. Mr Beer’s sales have been increasing by 10 percent per year for the past decade.
Coopers became Australia’s biggest independent brewer late last year after global beverage giant SABMiller acquired Foster’s. It has been securely in family hands since its founder, Thomas Cooper, a former stonemason and shoemaker, produced his first commercial brew in May 1862.
Its Managing Director, Dr Tim Cooper and Chairman and Marketing Director, Mr Glenn Cooper, are both great great grandchildren of Thomas Cooper and in charge of day-to-day operations. Four other members of the Cooper family work full-time at the brewery.
Dr Cooper said Coopers currently produced about 630,000 hl of beer per year to hold 4 percent of the Australian beer market, but expects to continue to increase its market share in coming years.
“We have been on a steady growth path for the past 15 years, during which time we have averaged 10 percent compound annual growth in beer volumes,” he said.
“Our rise to our new found status, on the eve of our 150th anniversary, was achieved almost by default,” Dr Cooper said. “However, it is a badge of honour we wear with pride as it represents the reward for 150 years of hard work by the Cooper family.
Coopers’ Chairman and Marketing Director, Mr Glenn Cooper, said the new status would provide Coopers with additional marketing and brewing opportunities, but may not necessarily result in increased sales.
“The Australian beer market at the moment is tough, with overall consumption having fallen slightly in the past 12 months as a result of economic conditions,” he said.
“Certainly being the largest Australian-owned brewer in the country gives us a new marketing tool, along with our 150th anniversary, but these will just be some of the factors when consumers decide which brand they purchase.”
Coopers’ most popular products continue to be its traditional top fermented ales, a style of beer that most breweries in Australia have long abandoned in favour of lagers.
Mr Cooper said that Coopers had planned a series of events across the nation to celebrate the 150th anniversary, including the release of a special anniversary beer. Details of the new beer are still under wraps, but in keeping with Coopers tradition it will be a bottle-conditioned ale.
Mr Cooper said details of celebratory events would be unveiled from May onwards, the anniversary of when Thomas Cooper made his first commercial brew.
Coopers today has 142 shareholders, mostly descendents of Thomas, and some 130 employees within the brewery which operates over three shifts. There are an additional 65 employees working outside of South Australia in subsidiary companies.
