It’s often said you can’t choose your family.
But you can decide who to go into business with, and sometimes that might be a sibling.
It sounds nice in theory; that’s if you get along.
Dana Lester and Grayson Lester had no hesitations about buying their first farm together.
“We’re only 15 months apart in age,” Dana said.
“We’ve grown up with each other and been each other’s best friends for a long time.
“I get that not every sibling relationship is like that and if you don’t have that, it probably makes that really hard.”
The pair, now in their mid-20s, grew up on a dairy property at Winnaleah in Tasmania’s north-east.
They went on to pursue individual careers in teaching and metal fabrication, but still had a yearning to farm in their own right.
In 2022, the pair jumped at the chance to buy a property that was once owned by their grandfather at Bishopsbourne, near Carrick, in the state’s northern midlands.
“I don’t think it’s ever been easy to get into farming,” Grayson said.
“I’d say land and machinery prices relative to commodity prices, are the highest they’ve been in a long time.
“We’re fortunate enough to have the confidence and backing of everyone around us to jump in.”
Across their 400 hectares, they raise cows and sheep and grow a range of crops, including pea, potato and grain.
The siblings live together on the farm too, along with Dana’s partner and agribusiness adviser Charlie Fry.
“We’ve had some good conversations with the accountant and with each other,” Dana said.
“Charlie and I are getting married in January and when we bought the farm, that wasn’t on the radar.
“He’s coming into our family, so we’ve done a lot of strategising around scenarios if and when they should play out.
“We can have the hard conversations if we need to, without that, it doesn’t work.”
Not always a seamless partnership
About 40 minutes out of Hobart is another business well acquainted with what it takes to work with family.
Sheep cheese operation Grandvewe Cheeses was established in 2002 at a scenic property in sleepy Birch’s Bay, overlooking the D’Entrecasteaux channel.
Founded by Diane Rae, the business has since expanded to include two new offshoots — a distillery and skin care range — with siblings Nicole Gilliver and Ryan Hartshorn joining the fold in 2005 and 2003 respectively.
They say that after so many years working together their trio has found its groove, but Nicole is quick to acknowledge it hasn’t always been smooth sailing.
“I often describe the business as the glue that sticks the family together,” she said.
With eight years between the siblings, she said having “effectively two generations, almost three” working together meant each of them often saw life, and business, “through a couple of different lenses”.
“Without the business, there’s no way in the world we’d be as close as we are, that’s for sure.”
Taking the time to figure out exactly how each fit into the business was an early challenge, Nicole said, but paved the way for a smoother operation.
While all three share the title of executive director, Diana takes on a majority of the chief executive responsibilities while Nicole focuses largely on sales.
Ryan has found his place by creating a “business within the business” through Hartshorn distillery.
“We’re pretty democratic when it comes to the distribution of titles and responsibilities,” Nicole said.
“We’ve been working together now for almost 20 years. The formative years were very much about getting to know each other.”
She said working with family wasn’t for everyone, but that there were plenty of benefits.
“I will tell you that when the chips are down, personally and in business … you need them in your corner.
“In that instance, being in a family business is not only galvanising, but it’s fortifying.”
Sibling partnership an ‘easy’ decision
Just a few minutes further down the road, brothers Jonny and Matthew Hughes jumped at the chance to buy a vineyard together.
The partnership turned into Mewstone Wines, which includes a cellar door and two wine labels.
“The decision to buy the vineyard, I think, was a bit of a way for Matt to move on from his very busy life in Sydney and come back to Tasmania,” Jonny said.
“And then the way the business evolved was very organic.”
Now 14 years on, Jonny said he could not imagine it having happened without his brother … and not just for his capital.
“I hear the story a lot: ‘How do you work with your brother?'” he said.
“And I always think, ‘Well, it’s not very hard.’
“We talk a lot, and that is probably pretty key.
“It might seem that we talk excessively, but I think that’s a pretty good key to making sure you’re on the same page.”
Having a clear idea of responsibilities and an appreciation for different skill sets has also been invaluable for the pair.
“That’s probably been one of the things that’s been really clear and easy,” Jonny said.
“The whole way through with us [it’s been] that the winemaking side … that was my specialty.
“And likewise, when it comes to doing the accounts, I don’t tell Matt how to do [it] because he’s got way more experience at that than I do.”
Ultimately, he said, it came down to teamwork, something they had plenty of experience with as the youngest and eldest of four brothers respectively.
“When we were kids in the backyard playing sport we had to be a team back then, too,” he said with a grin.
“He’d say he’s been helping me. But you know, I’ve always been undervalued.”
When it came down to it, Jonny said, he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I would probably rather work with a family member than a friend to be perfectly honest.
“Because I think at the end of the day, we absolutely know that if there is any conflict, we’re still going to have to sit down at Christmas.”
