The Cherry’s Logistics Group is an owner-managed newcomer, launched in early SEP26. Its headquarters are in Hamburg, and it runs a branch near Frankfurt Airport. The mastermind is Tim-Oliver Kirschbaum (75.1%), well known in the industry as the former owner of Senator International that he sold to Danish shipping line, Maersk, in 2022.
There is no shortage of freight forwarders in Germany. According to official figures, there are currently 14,181 transportation companies registered in the country. They form the backbone of the economy and ensure the smooth flow of all kinds of goods. One of them is start-up, Cherry’s Logistics, based in Hamburg, which also operates a branch near Frankfurt Airport.
One large, three minor stakeholders
Yet why start a new company when some of the existing players will have to close their doors soon because their owners have no successors? For various reasons, says Cherry’s CEO, Tim Oliver Kirschbaum: Merging an established company with a newcomer usually results in friction, partly due to differing business philosophies. Also, because the market demands sky rocketing prices that are simply not feasible. That said, the financial aspect likely was not the biggest stumbling block for him. After all, the sale of Senator International spilled EUR 509 million into his coffers. “But that amount had to be divided among the four former stakeholders,” he puts the deal into perspective. The logistics professionals, Sandra Bufe and Marc-Henrik Schmitz each hold 10% in Cherry’s, with a new stakeholder holding 4.9%, expected to join the company as early as 01NOV26.
Barred until now
For majority owner Kirschbaum, incepting a new forwarding agent was only possible now because, under the terms of the Maersk deal signed in 2022, he was contractually barred from operating in the industry and competing with Maersk for three years. The logistics veteran’s advantage: He is still in contact with many managers and former clients from his time at Senator. “The network still exists,” Managing Director, Sandra Bufe confirms, “and those contacts are the key drivers of our business approach, in addition to newly acquired customers.” And stakeholder, Marc-Henrik Schmitz, adds: “We’ve already received an encouraging number of inquiries from companies who have expressed interest in working with Cherry’s Logistics.”
Tradition meets leading-edge technology
Cherry’s range of services includes air and ocean freight, customs clearance, and project logistics, Bufe and Schmitz outline the portfolio. It is by no means a USP to be ahead of the curve, given the cutthroat competition of many freight forwarders in the country and throughout Europe.
In Hamburg alone – with a population of nearly two million and two more in the metropolitan area – there are 978 registered forwarders. Cherry’s Logistics’ management team has a simple yet surprising answer to the USP aspect: “We rely on traditional values and combine them with state-of-the-art technology. In our customer relationships, we still prefer the good old handshake when sealing a deal. Just as it was universally practiced by Hanseatic merchants 100, perhaps 200 years ago,” Kirschbaum explains.
“Cherry’s Brain”
This traditional, trust-based approach is paired with cutting-edge technology: smart data management and AI. The systems are designed to support employees in gathering information, processing demanding transport tasks, and handling day-to-day operations as quickly and smoothly as possible. This gives them more time and space to focus on customer relations, states a press release. Internally, the approach is called “Cherry’s Brain.” It refers to the gradual development of the company’s own, protected, and self-managed data pool and knowledge base. It is thus both the heart and the head of the newcomer.
This helps retain knowledge within the company over the long term and speeds up decision-making. The principle also applies in other areas such as human resources. “Our employees are our most valuable asset,” Kirschbaum underlines. Finally, there is the question concerning the company’s brand name, since being named after some fruit is rather unusual for a logistics company. It is derived from the founder’s family name. After all, ‘Kirschbaum’ translates to “Cherry tree.”
