It was 1920 when 34 year old Ehrhardt Koch persuaded his aunt to take out a second mortgage on her home, to raise money to start a headwear company that had only existed in his dreams. With $5,000, 14 employees and a promise to his aunt that her children would always have a job, Ehrhardt founded the New Era Cap Company on Genesee Street in Buffalo, New York.
Even with his unwavering determination, relentless persistence and overwhelming passion, we’re not sure even Ehrhardt could have imagined that his dream would have turned into the global home run it is today! So just how amazing is the New Era story? We’ll let our stats tell the story:
1920 - Year New Era began in Buffalo, New York
1930s - New Era began making caps for Major League Baseball (MLB) teams including the New York Yankees
4 - Global New Era offices (Canada, Europe, Japan and Hong Kong)
$3.98 - Cost of a dozen Gatsby caps in 1920; the first cap style New Era ever made New Era made
4 - Generations of leadership at New Era throughout the years
(Ehrhardt Koch, Harold Koch, David Koch and Chris Koch)
Over 222 - Licenses New Era holds with sports teams to make their caps
28 - Number of celebrities, including Spike Lee, Roger Clemens, George Gervin, Fabulous and Jake Burton, that have designed a limited edition New Era cap
30 - Million Caps made per year by New Era
1954 - Year New Era created its 59FIFTY signature cap style
40 - Countries that New Era caps are sold in
22 - Steps required to make one 59FIFTY cap
7 3/8 or 58.7 cm - Head size of the average male
7 ¼ or 57.7 cm - Head size of the average female
6,000 - Average number of stitches in the average MLB logo
4 ¼ or 30.5 cm - Smallest size cap made by New Era
8 ½ or 67.5 cm - Largest size cap made by New Era
3,000 - Average number of embroidery machines running 24 hours a day at a New Era plant
EK by New Era - A brand extension launched in February 2005
that supports the New Era brand heritage in making fashion hats
NY Yankees - Most popular team logo
Seattle Mariners - Most complex MLB logo as far as embroidery is concerned
Navy - Most popular color cap
White - Most used color thread in embroidery
2.2 Million - Yards of fabric used to make caps in the U.S. alone per year