What constitutes a "new" tire?

I was dealing with a local supplier of Toyo tires and had an appointment set...until I told him I wanted the tires to be within 1 month of manufacture. That did not go over well and he said Toyo probably hasn't even made tires in 2021 yet, and that all that are available are tires from 2020.

So, why would one pay for new tires if they are not new?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.