About Esterbrook
The Esterbrook Pen Company, a true American Original, is rewriting its long success story with new pen collections based on a complete re-branding.
In 1858, entrepreneur Richard Esterbrook established the Esterbrook Pen Company. Esterbrook would soon become one of the biggest and most beloved pen makers in the world with over 200 million pens produced and sold per year. Fountain pens and great quality nibs were a hit back then, but Esterbrook also offered a full range of pens, pencils and accessories in different finishes and designs. A big part of America’s history was literally written with Esterbrook pens.
From US presidents Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson who signed legislation with their Esterbrook pens, to famous Disney artist Carl Banks who brought Donald Duck to life with an Esterbrook No. 356, to Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz who used the No. 914 for all his comic inkings, Esterbrook pens were an integral part of America’s politics and culture in the 19th and 20th century. And that doesn't include the millions of American kids who grew up with an Esterbrook pen in school, or all those visionaries, entrepreneurs, founders, movers and shakers and doers who helped drive American spirit and success over the past 160 years with Esterbrook pens.
Fast forward to 2018 and the original Esterbrook spirit was brought back along with all the values that made the brand so successful back then. Its founder’s entrepreneurial spirit, outstanding quality at great value, robust customer services including repairs, and creative designs all made the Esterbrook brand an early American icon and global player. And it is exactly those values that fascinated Joel Blumberg, Kenro’s founder and president, and convinced him acquire the rights and patents for this original American brand.
Says Blumberg: “If you take the time to dig into Esterbrook’s heritage and how much this brand and its pens were part of great American history and cultural development, you start to see parallels to today and why a brand like Esterbrook still has its place in our digital world. That’s why we plan to reintroduce and build the Esterbrook brand on the same values as it was originally born. Yes, times are different, but core values remain deep in all our DNA, and this is what we are building on with this brand relaunch”. Kenro officially relaunched America’s Original pen brand with a range of quality pens for great value in August 2018, along with a fresh re-branding, new packaging and heavy investments into marketing and social media to reach old loyal fans and new younger followers. Blumberg adds: “We decided to relaunch this iconic brand with what we call the re-concept. Re- means to do it again but at the same time looking back to the original state, this is exactly what the Esterbrook relaunch is in its essence”.
Esterbrook’s manifesto states: We want to reconnect with consumers, rebuild interest in fine writing and penmanship, revolt against the decline of handwriting in American schools, re-establish brand image as America’s Original, regain trust and market share with retailers, and revive the values and spirit of Richard Esterbrook for the 21st century.
Esterbrook. America’s Original, Reborn.