“When 50% of vessels are late, visibility becomes everything
Interview with Florian Overhand, Vice President of Sales
Global supply chains are becoming increasingly complex, especially in the food and fresh sector, where speed, transparency and reliability are critical. The Rotterdam-based company Shypple B.V. combines digital innovation with hands-on logistics expertise to modernize international freight forwarding. In conversation with Vice President of Sales Florian Overhand, we discussed the company’s rapid growth, its technology-driven platform, the growing importance of sustainability and why personal service remains essential in a digital world.
European Business: Mr. Overhand, how did Shypple start, and what was the original idea behind the company?
Florian Overhand: Shypple was founded almost ten years ago by our founder Jarell Habets, who still leads the company today. He realized that logistics processes were still highly manual, relying on emails, Excel sheets and phone calls. Customers often lacked visibility into their shipments. Complexity and delays in global supply chains have increased significantly in recent years – from the oil crisis to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. Today, roughly 50% of vessels experience delays, with average delays now reaching up to five days per vessel. Companies need tools to be prepared and resilient. On top of that, the cost of hiring employees continues to rise, and having people spend their days chasing shipment updates is simply no longer feasible – it puts real pressure on margins. The idea behind Shypple was to combine a digital platform with full operational logistics support. Today, we manage everything from freight booking and customs clearance to final delivery while providing real-time visibility.
European Business: How has the company developed since then?
Florian Overhand: The company has grown rapidly. Today, we have around 190 employees and generate approximately EUR 150 million in revenue. We secured nearly EUR 30 million through several investment rounds, which allowed us to further develop our platform and grow internationally. Since 2024, we have been profitable. Over time, we also strengthened our focus on food, fresh and organic logistics, where digitalization creates particularly strong value.
European Business: Why is food and fresh logistics so demanding, and what are the biggest challenges in the market today?
Florian Overhand: Food and fresh logistics involve complex customs procedures, inspections and documentation, while delays and supply chain disruptions directly affect product quality. Traditionally, many companies managed this through spreadsheets and emails. Our platform centralizes the process, integrates data from shipping lines, terminals and customs systems and helps customers reduce administrative work by up to 50% while lowering detention and demurrage costs.
European Business: How is Shypple structured internationally today?
Florian Overhand: Our headquarters are in Rotterdam, with additional offices in Antwerp and Hamburg as well as locations in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Colombia, China and Thailand. In other markets, we work with local partner agents. We aim to be present in all the key origins our customers import from, to ensure optimal control and manage the process from farm or factory all the way to the warehouse.
European Business: Who are your main customers, and what services do they use?
Florian Overhand: We started by focusing on consumer goods from the Far East, which remains an important part of our business. Over time, due to the speed requirements of perishables and the complexity involved – extensive documentation, customs procedures and task management – we saw a strong match with the fresh produce and dry food sector, which is now our key focus. Organic is even more complex, requiring additional documentation, collaboration with certification bodies like SKAL, and coordination around inspections. With so many parties involved in the supply chain, there is an enormous amount of back-and-forth chasing information. We centralize all of that in one platform. Around 80% of our customers are importers and 20% are exporters, mainly trading companies supplying retailers and supermarkets. Customers source the products themselves, while we handle air and ocean freight, customs, transport and delivery. Some use our full FOB services at origin, while others only need local transport and customs support in Europe.
European Business: What advantages does your digital platform offer?
Florian Overhand: Our customers consistently recognize three key values. First, operational efficiency and cost savings. Second, better information and service to their end customers. Third, a clearer overview of the supply chain, making it more data-driven so they can make smarter decisions. We always make sure to understand the specific goals and business case of each customer, so we can genuinely help them grow their business. The platform creates transparency and efficiency by allowing customers to track containers live and receive proactive updates. ERP integrations ensure shipment data and documentation flow directly into customers’ systems. All of this is included.
European Business: In such a highly digital business, why is personal service still so important?
Florian Overhand: In food and fresh logistics, trust and personal relationships are essential. Our customers work directly with experienced specialists, not chatbots. We combine traditional logistics expertise with digital innovation and help customers scale efficiently at a time when skilled logistics professionals are increasingly hard to find. Fresh and food importers care deeply about their products. They want their own contact person that understands their needs, to manage the freight. On top of that, customs regulations and food authority rules change constantly – you need a partner with the right knowledge and connections, and someone who keeps you informed. To strengthen this further, Shypple acquired Milestone Group, bringing in people with deep expertise in areas such as organic food logistics and compliance.
European Business: What role does sustainability play for Shypple?
Florian Overhand: Sustainability is becoming increasingly important. Organic companies – by nature of what they do – tend to be forward-thinking and open to innovation. They are already disrupting the food industry with new products, and we find they are also more attuned to sustainability and digitalization. As a company that is also disrupting its industry, there is a natural alignment there. Through our “Shypple Zero” initiative, customers can track CO2 emissions and compensate them through biofuel programs.
European Business: What are your goals and vision for the future?
Florian Overhand: International expansion remains a key priority. We aim to expand into all the key origins our customers import from. At BIOFACH, where we had a stand this year for the first time, we met many companies that were genuinely excited to see a fresh and innovative freight forwarder specialized in their product movements – that kind of response confirms we are on the right track. We are also investing in AI, ERP integrations and strategic partnerships. In an industry defined by enormous volumes of emails, documents and tasks, the potential of AI to save time, reduce costs and help our customers improve their global shipping operations is huge – and this is an area we are actively investing in. Personally, I am motivated by modernizing an underdigitalized industry and helping customers improve efficiency and long-term growth.