New Era Cap Company — Another Buffalo Success Story

It was a German immigrant who started the company in 1920 right here in Buffalo in a factory at the corner of Genesee Street and Bailey Avenue. Today it generates half a billion dollars in revenue each year, and it’s still headquartered in Buffalo. Since 2005 it has operated out of the former Federal Reserve Bank Buffalo branch on Delaware Avenue and is an official provider of headgear for the National Football League – New Era Cap Company.

In addition to the NFL, New Era is the official cap provider for all of the major league baseball teams, all of their minor league affiliates as well as pro baseball teams in Japan, Korea and Australia. New Era also has licensing agreements with the NHL, NBA, National Rugby League and more than 200 colleges and universities.

Ehrhardt Koch was the man who started the company more than 90 years ago focusing mainly on uniform and casual caps with a motto: “quality first, quantity will follow.” It wasn’t until 1934 that New Era started making the first pro baseball caps providing the home and away caps of the Cleveland Indians.

By the 1940’s New Era had a long list of teams they provided caps for and even obliged a special request by Honus Wagner of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He asked them to make a special cap to fit his unusually large head and they did.

Along with chicken wings and a visit to the falls, a stop at New Era Cap Company always seems to be on the "to do" list when relatives come in from out of town. It's a place I enjoy taking people, but what makes me most proud is that a Buffalo company that was born here and stayed here has had so much success.

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Categories: Sports, WNY News