Crates Leather

What Crates Leather does

Crates Leather Company, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned American manufacturer of hand-made western saddles, founded in 1982 in Chattanooga, Tennessee by the Crates family to continue a western saddlery tradition dating to the 1940s at the former Simco Leather Company. The company's product line centers on western equestrian saddles spanning Trail, Barrel, Show, Youth, Roper, Arabian, Endurance, Cutter, and Reiner categories, plus a leather tack line of straps, breast collars, and bridles. Crates' core technology is traditional hand-crafted leather saddlery built on Ralide, Equi-fit, and Rawhide tree foundations with configurable rigging (Dee, C-Plate, DBL-C, FP, D-C, 3-pt, SH, MF) and bar profiles (Semi-QH, QH, Arabian, Gaited, MULE), with archives documenting hundreds of models produced from the early 1980s through 2010.

Since June 2016, Crates has operated under an exclusive worldwide licensing arrangement with Fabtron, Inc. of Maryville, Tennessee, under which Fabtron manufactures and markets all Crates-branded products globally while Crates retains the brand, customer support functions, and licensing royalty revenue. The company does not sell directly to end-users; instead, Crates products reach customers through equestrian retailers and direct-sale organizations. Crates' own revenue stream consists of licensing royalties from Fabtron and residual support activity, with the company's Chattanooga office functioning primarily as a customer information and ordering point. Manufacturing, shipping, and administration are consolidated at Fabtron's Maryville, TN facility under the Fabtron-Crates Alliance.

Name

Crates Leather

Legal name

Crates Leather Company, Inc.

Website

https://cratesleather.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Crates Leather Company is a third-generation family-owned American western saddlery brand founded in 1982, manufacturing hand-made leather saddles and tack worldwide under an exclusive 2016 licensing arrangement with Fabtron, Inc., serving equestrian riders across trail, rodeo, and show disciplines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Equestrian Saddlery

NAICS

Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing (316), Other Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing (31699)

SIC

Leather & Leather Products (3100)

akta.pro primary industry

Wallets, Small Leather Goods & Accessories Manufacturing (IMAOAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Leather Goods Components & Subassemblies Manufacturing (Straps/Handles/Hardware Assemblies) (IMAOAHAI), Leather, Suede & Alternatives (PU/Bio-based) (CRAAAMAG)

Keywords

• Western saddles
• Equestrian leather goods
• Horse saddlery
• Leather tack equipment
• Handmade saddles

Headquarters

HQ city

Lookout Mountain

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Leather Saddle Sales: One-time hardware sales of hand-crafted leather saddles and tack equipment through equestrian retailers. Revenue generated from direct product sales of saddles and related equestrian equipment.
2. Licensing Royalties: Crates brand licensing arrangement with Fabtron, Inc. whereby Fabtron has exclusive license to manufacture and market Crates branded products worldwide, with Crates receiving licensing consideration.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Crates Leather Company, Inc. is a family-owned American saddlery business that designs and licenses the production of hand-crafted western leather saddles across multiple disciplines (trail, barrel, show, reiner, roper, youth, Arabian, endurance, cutter) and a complete line of leather tack. Products are hand-made in Tennessee, USA, and manufactured and distributed worldwide exclusively by Fabtron, Inc. under an exclusive licensing arrangement established in 2016.

Product overview

Crates Leather Company is a family-owned American manufacturer specializing in hand-made western saddles distributed exclusively worldwide by Fabtron, Inc. under an exclusive licensing arrangement established in 2016. The product portfolio centers on western equestrian saddles across multiple specialized categories — Trail, Barrel, Show, Youth, Roper, Arabian, Endurance, Cutter, and Reiner models — serving various riding disciplines and horse breeds. The current catalog features the most popular trail and reining models from the last decade, with plans to expand into additional categories including Barrel, Arabian, Gaited, and Endurance. The Archives document hundreds of historical models from the past 35 years. Beyond saddles, the product line includes a complete tack line of leather riding equipment and accessories. All products are proudly Made in Tennessee, USA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Western Trail Saddles
• Barrel Saddles
• Show Saddles
• Reiner Saddles
• Roper Saddles
• Youth Saddles
• Arabian Saddles
• Endurance Saddles
• Cutter Saddles
• Leather Tack Line

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Fabtron, Inc.coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 June 2016Exclusive licensing arrangement whereby Fabtron, Inc. of Maryville, Tennessee has exclusive license to manufacture and market Crates branded products worldwide. Fabtron-Crates Alliance pools over 70 years of combined manufacturing history. Fabtron handles manufacturing, shipping, and administration functions while Crates Chattanooga continues as a source of product information and ordering requirements. Both remain separate family-owned companies operating in Tennessee.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Circle Y Saddles: One of the largest U.S. makers of western saddles (and parent of High Horse and Tucker brands), competing head-to-head with Crates in trail, barrel, reining, and roper categories through similar equestrian retailer channels.
• Tex Tan Western Leather Company: Historic Texas maker of western saddles, tack, and leather goods dating to the late 1800s. Closely overlaps Crates on product category, heritage-brand positioning, and distribution through western retailers.
• Billy Cook Saddles: Long-running Texas-based maker of hand-crafted western saddles across trail, barrel, roper, and show categories. Comparable to Crates on heritage positioning, Made-in-USA craft narrative, and equestrian retailer distribution.
• Reinsman Equestrian: Maker of western saddles, tack, and equestrian accessories sold through tack shops and online channels. Overlaps Crates on western saddle categories and multi-channel distribution to the same rider base.
• Martin Saddlery: Manufacturer of custom and production western saddles, including barrel, roper, and cutter models, sold through western tack retailers. Comparable to Crates on product mix, customer profile, and Made-in-USA positioning.
• Fabtron, Inc. Exclusive worldwide manufacturer and marketer of Crates branded saddlery since 2016 and itself a long-established Tennessee saddlery maker. Directly comparable in product category, geography, and equestrian customer base, with the additional layer of being Crates' contracted OEM/licensing partner.
• Tucker Saddlery: Producer of trail and endurance western saddles with strong dealer network across the U.S. Comparable to Crates on western trail/endurance positioning and equestrian retailer distribution, though now owned by Circle Y.
• Big Horn Leather: Manufacturer of western and endurance saddles plus tack, sold primarily through equestrian retailers. Comparable product mix and channel model to Crates, especially on the endurance and trail saddle categories.

Emerging players

• Abetta Saddles: Producer of lightweight western and trail saddles targeting recreational riders. Competes with Crates at the entry-level trail segment and is sold through the same equestrian retailer channels, though at lower price points.
• Wintec (by Bates Australia): Synthetic and trail saddle brand competing at a lower price point than Crates in the trail/endurance category. Comparable end-customer but a different material story (synthetic vs. leather) and broader mass-market positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crates-leather-company-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Crates Leather