Vittorino De Bortoli, who founded Montebelluna-based freight forwarder DB Group with his brother Valter in 1980, died on the morning of 8 October 2026 aged 76. Their father Angelo was the family's first road haulier, building up a fleet of around fifteen lorries. However, when the brothers established their own business in 1980, they chose a different model, organising international shipments using other operators' vehicles. DB Group grew out of that decision. The company remembers him as a "driving force" behind its growth and international expansion. De Bortoli remained a member of the board of directors, chaired by his brother, but had gradually stepped back from day-to-day management in recent years, handing responsibilities to Valter, chief executive Silvia Moretto and the family's second generation: his nephew Nicola De Bortoli, responsible for strategic development, and his niece Silvia De Bortoli, who oversees communications, marketing and sustainability.
Born in Coste di Maser in 1950 and qualified in accounting, Vittorino De Bortoli began working in his father's transport business. During the 1970s, however, he specialised in international freight forwarding and customs procedures, working with companies in Montebelluna's footwear district. De Bortoli Srl, established with his brother, later became DB Group SpA, serving numerous small businesses with different cargoes and requirements. This experience taught the group to develop tailored solutions, which it subsequently offered to major international customers.
The original business model remains unchanged. Today, the group organises sea, air and rail freight shipments, alongside customs consultancy and warehouse management. Its logistics space has grown from 70,000 to 300,000 square metres over approximately ten years. Organic growth has been accompanied by acquisitions. In 2022, DB Group acquired Livorno-based Fratelli Colò, which handles, among other activities, shipments of Italian wine to the United States. In 2025, it acquired a stake in Mexico's Sea Cargo Logistics, bringing eighteen offices across Central and South America into the group.
