The Elders Way - 175 Years

Elders - Celebrating 175 years of knowledge, experience and advice to clients.

Elders is a brand synonymous with rural Australia – an iconic Australian business that has supported Aussie farmers and their communities since Alexander Lang

Elder stepped off the Minerva in Port Misery way back in 1840. Fiercely proud of its relationship with the land and those who work on it, Elders built a strong and successful business around this philosophy, deeply embedding itself into the very fabric of the communities it serviced, selling their livestock and their properties, auctioning their wool, providing advice and farm supplies and even managing their banking and insurance matters.

But, most importantly, Elders was always there when farmers needed it most. When they had to deal with nature’s cruel blows – droughts, floods and bushfires – or when crops failed and livestock markets were oversupplied. Elders backed its clients when their backs were against the wall, funding wool clips when farmers couldn’t afford to pay shearers and classers, or finding cattle buyers thousands of miles away when supply outstripped demand.

It’s not uncommon to hear a farmer declare his allegiance to the brand because Elders supported their family through tough times, generations before.

During its 175-year history, Elders has survived world wars and stock market crashes, the Great Depression and recessions. Along the way, it has acquired competitors, created partnerships and diversified to become one of Australia’s biggest companies.

Elders has survived and, for the most part, thrived, for so long because of its people – both those who work for Elders and those whom Elders works for. Elders’ front-line staff play local footy, run the charity auctions for the local hospital and sit at their clients’ kitchen tables, sharing cups of tea and family stories, celebrating their highs and shouldering their lows. When doing things the Elders way, relationships count for everything.

So, as we journey through time, from the craggy shores of Kirkcaldy to Elders’ 175th year, we’ll learn just what the Elders way is, how it has helped define this iconic Australian institution and how it will shape the Elders of tomorrow and beyond.

The Elders Way 175 Years was produced to commemorate the 175th anniversary of one Australia’s most iconic and enduring companies, Elders.