Miles Cahn

PINE PLAINS — Miles Cahn, founder of Coach Leatherware and Coach Dairy Goat Farm in Pine Plains, died at his home in New York City on Feb. 10, 2017.  He was 95. A spokesperson for the family said that he died of natural causes. 

Mr. Cahn was born in New York City on April 18, 1921, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants Jacob and Fanny Cahn, who were forced to flee the Russian Revolution. He was educated in the public school system and graduated from the City College of New York. He served in the United States Army during World War II, returned to New York City and met Lillian Lenovitz. They were married in 1947 and enjoyed 66 years of married life together.

In 1946, Mr. Cahn joined the Gail Novelty Company, a small factory making billfolds for the wholesale trade. In 1961, Mr. and Mrs. Cahn bought out the company and changed its name to the Coach Leatherware Company. Mr. Cahn was impressed by the quality of leather used in baseball gloves and later went on to use that same leather in the production of what became famous as the “Coach Bag.” These soft, unconstructed bags soon developed a very loyal following. 

Mr. Cahn created the modern business model for manufacturers, of direct sales through their own mail order catalogs and their own stand-alone stores. He also created the factory outlet concept. This broke the tradition of manufacturers selling only to distributors and retailers, and revolutionized retail marketing from the manufacturer to the consumer. 

During the ’60s, the Cahns took a public stand against the war in Vietnam. This included taking out an ad in protest, in the New York Times addressed to President Nixon, a rare and risky stance for a business to take during that era. They were also big supporters of the arts in New York City.

The Coach Leatherware factory was located on 34th Street in Manhattan and remained exclusively at that location during a time when many companies were taking their business out of the country. They employed  more than 200 highly skilled workers and craftspeople, the majority of whom were new immigrants to the United States. Many of these factory workers remained loyal to the Cahns for upwards of 20 years. 

The Cahns sold Coach Leatherware to the Sara Lee Corporation in 1985, and it has since grown into a worldwide brand. On their departure, they rewarded their dedicated employees with bonuses representing a generous percentage of their profit in accordance with the number of years they had been employed. 

In 1985, Mr. and Mrs. Cahn went on to start the Coach Dairy Goat Farm in Pine Plains. The Farm is located on 600 beautiful acres. The Cahns were eager to see it be protected from developers, and secured a conservation easement from the Columbia County Land Conservancy to protect it forever. 

The Coach Farm was a pioneer in the “farm-to-table” movement, creating fresh and aged goat cheeses and yogurt and milk for a hungry New York City market. The farm began as a weekend getaway for the Cahn family. It grew into an operation with a herd of 1,500 goats and a state-of-the-art creamery. As the largest dairy goat farm on the East Coast, it wasn’t long before Coach Farm artisanal goat cheeses could be found in some of the best markets and restaurants around the country. The Cahns sold the Coach farm brand in 2006 and Mr. Cahn went into retirement at age 85.

In his retirement Mr. Cahn enjoyed writing, turning out almost 500 one-page “Reflections.” In a recent one he concluded:

“Life in all its splendor and incredible diversity offers much to marvel at and enjoy. Though I am recently retired (unemployed describes it better) and dealing with a host of  ‘age-related’ symptoms, I am overjoyed to still be active, engaged and alive. Looking back at it, I can appreciate that Life, for all its randomness, has dealt me a good hand. I will surrender it reluctantly when my time is up and will sorely miss it when I am gone.“

Miles Cahn is survived by his three children, David, Julie and Susan; and his five grandchildren, Liza, Jake, Annie, Benno and Leo. 

A private burial will take place at a small cemetery in Pine Plains. Mr. Cahn will be buried alongside his wife (who passed away in 2013) under a single headstone that will read: “WE FOUND A PARKING PLACE.”

In lieu of flowers, the family requests you make a donation to the ACLU.