Sonora

Name

Sonora

Legal name

SIA Sonora

Website

https://sonora.lv

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Sonora is a Riga-based, privately held freight forwarder offering multimodal road, sea, rail, and air transportation, customs brokerage, warehousing, and project cargo services to enterprise clients across Europe, the CIS, and Central Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Forwarding & Logistics

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851), Specialized Freight (except Used Goods) Trucking, Long-Distance (48423), General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance (48412), General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance, Truckload (484121), Deep Sea Freight Transportation (483111), Rail Transportation (4821)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Transportation Services (4700), Trucking (No Local) (4213), Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412), Railroads, Line-Haul Operating (4011), Air Courier Services (4513)

akta.pro primary industry

Cross-Border Intermodal (Customs-in-Transit/Transit Regimes) Forwarding (TLACAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

General Cargo Air Freight Forwarding (Airport-to-Airport / Door-to-Door) (TLACAAAA), Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG), Rail Customs Brokerage & Border Clearance (TLACADAE), Cross-Border Trucking & Border Transfer (Linehaul, Transloading) (TLACACAC), In-Transit & Special Regimes Processing (Transit, TIR/ATA Carnet, Temporary Import/Export) (TLACAFAJ)

Keywords

• Freight forwarding services
• Multimodal transport logistics
• Customs brokerage services
• Contract logistics warehousing
• Project cargo transportation

Headquarters

HQ city

Riga

HQ country

Latvia

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Freight Forwarding Services: Multimodal freight forwarding including air, sea, railway, and road transportation services for cargo worldwide. Core revenue stream from organizing and managing cargo shipments.
2. Customs Services: Customs declaration services including export, import and transit declarations, TIR carnets, CMR documents, EORI registration, combined nomenclature determination, certificates of origin, and food/veterinary border control documents.
3. Warehouse Services: Storage and handling services including general cargo, excise goods, customs warehouse, and temperature-controlled storage. Includes loading, unloading, packaging, lashing, weighing services.
4. Project Cargo / Non-standard Cargo: Specialized transportation of oversize, heavy weight, and abnormal cargo requiring engineering technical services, road surveys, and individual approach for each project.
5. Cargo Insurance Services: Cooperation with leading insurance companies offering optimal insurance types according to cargo specifics and potential risks including fire, explosion, vehicle accidents, theft, natural disasters, and general average.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sonora is a Latvian-headquartered freight forwarding and logistics company offering multimodal transport (road, rail, sea, air), customs brokerage, customs and excise warehousing totaling over 10,900 m2 in Riga, and specialized project cargo handling for oversized and out-of-gauge loads. The company provides door-to-door international delivery and integrates customs documentation with transport execution for cross-border shippers.

Product overview

Sonora operates as a full-service freight forwarding and logistics company offering a coordinated portfolio of seven interconnected service lines covering all transport modes: road freight, railway freight, sea freight, air freight, customs brokerage, multi-type warehousing, and project cargo (out-of-gauge/oversized freight). The core transport services are complemented by customs clearance, warehouse facilities (excise, customs-bonded, and heated), cargo insurance, and cargo consolidation. The company manages two warehouses in Riga including a 10,900 m2 customs warehouse and a 4,200 m2 heated warehouse, serving as a hub for multimodal transshipments across Europe, the CIS, Central Asia, and China.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Road Freight Services Road-based freight transport service for cross-border and domestic shipments, offered as part of the company's multimodal logistics portfolio.
• Railway Freight Services Rail freight forwarding service for containerized and bulk cargo shipments, particularly suited to Eurasian corridor movements.
• Sea Freight Services Sea/ocean freight forwarding services for full container load (FCL), less-than-container load (LCL), and conventional ocean cargo via partner shipping lines.
• Air Freight Services IATA-certified air freight forwarding service for time-sensitive cargo, delivered in partnership with airlines.
• Customs Services Customs brokerage and clearance service, including documentation preparation and excise handling for cross-border shipments integrated with the company's transport offerings.
• Warehouse Services Customs and excise-bonded warehousing service operating from Riga facilities totaling over 10,900 m2, supporting storage under customs supervision and excise regimes.
• Project Cargo / Out-of-Gauge Freight Specialized project cargo forwarding service for oversized, heavy-lift, and out-of-gauge shipments, delivered through membership in the Project Cargo Network.
• Door-to-Door Delivery Integrated door-to-door delivery service combining pickup, line-haul transport, customs clearance, and final-mile delivery for international shipments.

Quantifiable outcome

• 26 years of experience in cargo transportation industry
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Professional Forwarders International (PFI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 April 2017PFI Worldwide Network brings together the best logistics professionals from around the world. Sonora is the only company from the Baltic states in this organization, representing Latvia in the network of 615 member companies from 188 countries. Sonora successfully hosted the 7th PFI conference in Riga in 2019, the first time the event was held in Northern Europe.
• Worldwide Partners Alliance (WPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational logistics network where only one company per country can be admitted. Sonora represents Latvia as the sole member, demonstrating its position as a leading logistics company. Received Best Communication award at the 5th annual WPA conference in Bangkok.
• Project Cargo NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organization for project cargo specialists. Membership confirms Sonora is among the world's best non-standard cargo transportation specialists.
• AirBalticmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAirline partner for air cargo transportation services
• Turkish AirlinesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAirline partner for air cargo transportation services
• FinnairmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAirline partner for air cargo transportation services
• LufthansamajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAirline partner for air cargo transportation services
• Swiss International Air LinesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAirline partner for air cargo transportation services
• Uzbekistan AirwaysmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial cargo transportation agents for Uzbekistan Airways. Supported Sonora's participation at TransLogistica 2024 exhibition in Tashkent.
• MaerskmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal container shipping company partner for sea freight services
• MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal container shipping company partner for sea freight services
• CMA CGMmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal container shipping company partner for sea freight services
• EvergreenmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal container shipping company partner for sea freight services
• YML (Yang Ming)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal container shipping company partner for sea freight services
• OOCLmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal container shipping company partner for sea freight services
• COSCO ShippingmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal container shipping company partner for sea freight services
• IATAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Air Transport Association membership providing industry certification and standards compliance for air cargo operations
• Latvian Employers' Confederation (LDDK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLargest employers' representative organization in Latvia. Sonora joined in August 2015. Sonora's CEO Jānis Mozga serves as Chairman of Latvian-Uzbekistan and Latvian-Turkmenistan Business Cooperation Councils under LDDK.
• Kyrgyz Republic Chamber of Commerce and IndustrymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership provides access to business development opportunities in Kyrgyzstan and assurance of high-quality cargo transportation services meeting stringent quality requirements.
• European Digital Innovation Centre (EDIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership under 'EDIC: Support for digitalization and artificial intelligence development in Latvia' program. Sonora's subsidiary SIA Sonora Cargo Park implemented digitalization project within EDIC's Test Before Invest framework.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GAC Group: Global logistics provider headquartered in Dubai/Jeddah with strong presence in project cargo, oil & gas, and multimodal forwarding. Highly comparable to Sonora in service mix and project cargo emphasis, with greater Middle East coverage.
• Scan Global Logistics: Denmark-based mid-market global forwarder offering air, sea, road, and customs services with strong cross-border and project cargo capabilities. Highly comparable in size and full-service model.
• Hellmann Worldwide Logistics: Family-owned German mid-sized forwarder offering multimodal air, sea, road, and contract logistics globally. Closest structural analog to Sonora — same ownership profile, similar size tier, full-service multimodal offering.
• Röhlig Logistics: German family-owned mid-sized global forwarder with air, sea, and road services plus strong project cargo capability. Closest mid-market European peer to Sonora in ownership profile and service breadth.

Broad incumbents

• CEVA Logistics: French-headquartered global logistics provider (CMA CGM group) offering multimodal freight, contract logistics, and customs services. Competes in the same end-markets, though with larger contract logistics focus.
• Expeditors International: US-listed global forwarder specializing in air and ocean freight with strong European presence. Competes for enterprise multimodal accounts though does not offer the same warehousing depth as Sonora.
• DHL Global Forwarding: Division of Deutsche Post DHL offering air, ocean, road freight and customs services globally. Sets the standard for enterprise forwarding SLAs and competes with Sonora for large multinational accounts.
• DSV A/S: Global Danish freight forwarder offering road, air, sea, and project cargo across 80+ countries. Closest publicly listed forwarder benchmark — same multimodal model, but at vastly greater scale following the DB Schenker acquisition.
• Kuehne+Nagel International AG: Swiss-headquartered global logistics leader across sea, air, road, and contract logistics with a particularly strong European forwarding presence. Competes for the same enterprise multimodal RFPs but operates at far larger scale.

Regional players

• Noerpel Group: Family-owned German mid-sized forwarder focused on European road, sea, and air freight with warehousing. Comparable in ownership and size profile to Sonora, but primarily Western/Central European in focus rather than Baltic/CIS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SonoraJsCompany
• Instagraminstagram.com/sonora_js

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Sonora