The Farrow Group

What The Farrow Group does

The Farrow Group (legal name: Russell A. Farrow Limited) is a North American customs brokerage, trade consulting, and integrated logistics company headquartered in Windsor, Ontario, founded in 1911. The company operates 15 owned offices and warehouses across Canada and, through its 2024 acquisition by Kuehne+Nagel Group, accesses a network of 118 North American logistics locations spanning Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Farrow serves approximately 7.5k clients across 10 verticals including automotive, manufacturing, food & beverage, consumer retail, agriculture, oil & gas, life sciences, aerospace & defense, footwear & apparel, and pulp & paper.

Farrow's core services are customs brokerage (24/7/365 clearance across all transport modes — air, sea, rail, road — with EDI, API, and FTP data exchange) and trade consulting (tariff classification, duty recovery and drawbacks, FTA support including USMCA, compliance audits, and CARM Client Portal management). Its proprietary technology stack centers on the TradeSmart Connect client portal, providing real-time shipment tracking, on-demand reporting, and document management, supplemented by the Farrow Tracker mobile app for PARS/PAPS tracking. The company maintains an industry-leading entry error rate of just over 1% through 100% audit of entries by senior staff, with 31% of operational staff holding CCS or PFF industry designations.

Farrow operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Kuehne+Nagel Group since January 31, 2024, while retaining its name, brand, and standalone executive leadership under Chairman Rick Farrow. Revenue is generated through transaction fees on customs brokerage, professional services fees on trade consulting, and managed services for integrated logistics — pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Since the K+N acquisition, Farrow has relocated multiple offices (Chicago, Calgary, Houston, Montreal) into Kuehne+Nagel buildings, indicating systematic integration of the parent's global freight forwarding, warehousing, and digital supply chain capabilities with Farrow's North American customs franchise.

Name

The Farrow Group

Legal name

Russell A. Farrow Limited

Website

https://farrow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1911

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The Farrow Group is a North American customs brokerage and trade consulting firm founded in 1911, serving 7.5k clients across automotive, manufacturing, retail, life sciences, and other verticals with 24/7 clearance services and proprietary TradeSmart Connect technology. Wholly owned by Kuehne+Nagel since 2024, operating across 118 North American locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Customs Brokerage and Trade Consulting

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Customs & Regulatory Filing Documentation (Entry/Exit Summaries, Declarations, ENS/AMS/ACI) (TLACAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cross-Border Intermodal (Customs-in-Transit/Transit Regimes) Forwarding (TLACAEAJ), Cross-Border Specialty-Regulated Small Parcels (Medical, Hazmat, Controlled Goods) (TLAAANAJ)

Keywords

• Customs brokerage services
• Trade consulting
• Cross-border logistics
• Tariff classification
• Supply chain solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Windsor

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Customs Brokerage Services: Fees for facilitating customs clearance for goods entering Canada, United States, and Mexico via all transport modes. Services include tariff classification, value-for-duty determination, free trade agreement benefits, and customs documentation assistance.
2. Trade Consulting: Expert advisory services including duty recovery, refunds, tariff classification, compliance audits, free trade agreement support, CARM Client Portal management, and regulatory compliance guidance.
3. Integrated Logistics Services: Transportation coordination, drayage, transfers, and warehouse capabilities provided in partnership with Kuehne+Nagel's global logistics network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Farrow Group is a North American customs broker and trade consultancy that helps businesses move goods across the Canada–U.S.–Mexico borders. It provides licensed customs brokerage across all transport modes (Air, Sea, Rail, Road), trade consulting (tariff classification, duty recovery, FTA support, compliance audits), and integrated logistics through its partnership with Kuehne+Nagel. Its TradeSmart Connect portal and Farrow Tracker mobile app provide real-time shipment visibility and document management for shippers, brokers, and carriers.

Product overview

Farrow is a North American customs brokerage and logistics company offering a portfolio of services centered on its TradeSmart Connect platform. TradeSmart Connect is Farrow's primary client-facing digital portal providing real-time shipment tracking, document management, and on-demand reporting for cross-border shipments across all transportation modes (Air, Sea, Rail, Road) in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Complementing the platform is the Farrow Tracker mobile app for PARS/PAPS tracking on the go, along with core service lines covering customs brokerage (24/7 clearance, EDI/API data exchange, compliance programs) and trade consulting (tariff classification, duty recovery, FTA support, compliance audits, CARM portal management). Farrow also operates Link+ Corporation as an acquired customs brokerage subsidiary. The company operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Kuehne+Nagel, whose global logistics network supports freight forwarding, warehousing, and digital supply chain capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TradeSmart Connect: Secure information portal providing visibility to U.S. and/or Canada import data with real-time shipment tracking, report generation, and document management.

Products and services

• Customs Brokerage Comprehensive customs brokerage services throughout Canada, the United States, and Mexico covering all transport modes (Air, Sea, Rail, Road), with 24/7/365 processing centers, EDI/API data exchange, ISF filings, document management, CTPAT and PIP validation, and compliance support for businesses importing or exporting goods across North America.
• Trade Consulting Expert trade consulting services including tariff classification, duty recovery and drawbacks, free trade agreement support (USMCA, CETA, CPTPP), compliance audits, CARM Client Portal management, valuation, and regulatory advisory for businesses importing or exporting across Canada and the United States.
• TradeSmart Connect Farrow's flagship client-facing secure information portal providing real-time shipment tracking, on-demand reporting, document management, and visibility to U.S. and Canada import data across all transportation modes (Air, Sea, Rail, Road), with single sign-on, country toggle between Canada and U.S. imports, tailored dashboards, and scheduled reporting for enterprise clients.
• Farrow Tracker Mobile App Mobile application enabling carriers to track PARS (Canadian imports) and PAPS (U.S. imports) shipments in real time, receive barcode scanning and push notification alerts, and monitor cross-border shipment release from their phone.
• TradeSmart EZ-LINK A trade management tool available as part of the TradeSmart Connect ecosystem for streamlined customs entry processing and data management.
• Link+ Corporation Customs Brokerage

Quantifiable outcome

• Industry-leading error rate of just over 1% compared to professional broker error rates around 3% and broader studies showing 34-40% of all customs declarations contain potential errors or discrepancies
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Link+ CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2023Farrow acquired Link+ Corporation (headquartered in London, Ontario) on May 12, 2023. This acquisition increased market coverage across the province of Ontario and added additional trade experts with specializations across various industries. Link+ built a valuable reputation as a customs broker of great integrity, skill, and customer centricity.
• CORTEZ Customhouse Brokerage Company and CORTEZ Global LogisticscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008In 2008, the Farrow network was expanded with the acquisition of CORTEZ Customhouse Brokerage Company and CORTEZ Global Logistics. This acquisition significantly broadened Farrow's international freight forwarding and logistics capabilities as well as services to and from Mexico.
• Canadian Trade Resources Ltd., Henry Weiner Inc., J.MacD.Thomson Ltd., Mid West Higinbotham Ltd.majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1995In 1995, Farrow amalgamated with four other well-established customs brokers - Canadian Trade Resources Ltd. of Windsor, Henry Weiner Inc. and J.MacD.Thomson Ltd. both of Toronto, and Mid West Higinbotham Ltd. of Edmonton - to form an integrated national customs brokerage and logistics organization under the Farrow name.
• Kuehne+Nagel (Logistics Partnership)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFarrow operates with 118 locations throughout a robust logistics network of offices and warehouses across North America, in partnership with Kuehne+Nagel. With the added network support of Kuehne+Nagel's customs management expertise and extensive global logistics network of freight forwarding, warehousing, and digital supply chain capabilities, clients benefit from a fully integrated trade solution.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Livingston International: Canada's largest customs broker and trade management specialist, offering customs brokerage, trade consulting, and freight forwarding across North America. Operates the most direct competing model to Farrow, especially in cross-border entry filing, FTA/USMCA advisory, and duty recovery.
• A.N. Deringer: U.S.-headquartered customs broker with strong cross-border expertise between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Closely comparable to Farrow across customs clearance, classification, and consulting for shippers in similar verticals.
• Cole International: Canadian customs broker offering customs brokerage and trade consulting across North America, including the U.S. border. A regional direct peer with a similar mid-market customs-brokerage and consulting model, though at smaller scale.
• C.H. Robinson Worldwide: Large U.S.-based 3PL and customs broker that arranges freight movement and customs clearance for North American shippers. A direct competitor in trade compliance services, particularly for shippers needing integrated customs + freight forwarding.
• EMO Trans: Global logistics company with customs brokerage and trade compliance services in North America, including Canada. Comparable in that it bundles brokerage with consulting and forwarding for cross-border shippers.

Broad incumbents

• Kuehne+Nagel: Farrow's parent since January 2024 and the world's largest ocean freight forwarder. Operates a global customs management offering that overlaps with Farrow at the top end of the global market while dwarfing Farrow in scope and scale.
• DHL Global Forwarding: Global logistics provider with customs brokerage and trade compliance services across North America and worldwide. A broad incumbent competitor offering similar customs clearances alongside a larger freight forwarding portfolio.
• Expeditors International: Global logistics company providing customs brokerage and trade compliance within a broad freight forwarding portfolio. Overlaps with Farrow on customs clearance but serves a much wider global customer set and asset-light model.
• UPS Supply Chain Solutions: Broader logistics and supply chain solutions arm of UPS that includes customs brokerage and trade compliance across North America. A broad incumbent with overlap on cross-border filings, particularly for shippers using UPS parcel/parcel freight services.
• FedEx Trade Networks: FedEx's customs brokerage and global trade services arm providing cross-border clearance and consulting. Operates in adjacent verticals (life sciences, hazardous goods) and competes with Farrow for enterprise customs work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/farrownews
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@FarrowGlobal
• Facebookfacebook.com/FarrowTrade
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/russell-a-farrow
• Instagraminstagram.com/farrowglobal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries3 records

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 The Farrow Group