Edizioni Dehoniane Bologna - EDB

What Edizioni Dehoniane Bologna - EDB does

Edizioni Dehoniane Bologna (EDB) is an Italian religious and academic publishing house founded in 1962 and headquartered in Bologna. Operating as a brand under the parent Il Portico S.p.a., EDB produces Italian-language books, ebooks, and a portfolio of approximately nine theological journals — including Rivista Biblica, Ricerche Teologiche, Orientamenti Pastorali, and Testimoni — alongside flagship titles such as the Bibbia di Gerusalemme (Jerusalem Bible). The house extends into educational publishing through the EDB Scuola Digitale sub-brand, which serves Catholic schools with curriculum-aligned materials for the 2024-2025 academic year and beyond.

EDB's product surface spans physical books, digital ebooks, periodic journals, curated thematic reading paths (Percorsi Tematici), subscription bundles, and an online reference catalog called Enchiridion. The company does not appear to operate a proprietary technology platform beyond a standard e-commerce storefront at edb.it; the technology profile is that of a traditional, content-led publishing house rather than a software-driven business. Distribution is regionally scoped to Italy via direct e-commerce, with no public pricing tiers and subscription terms described as quote-based rather than transparently disclosed.

The revenue model combines one-time purchase of print and digital books with recurring journal/periodical subscriptions, supplemented by school-targeted digital packages. The customer base is diffuse and primarily Italian: religious institutions and parishes, theologians and biblical scholars, Catholic schools, and the broader Italian Catholic lay readership. With approximately 10 employees, no external funding, and parent ownership by Il Portico S.p.a., EDB runs as a lean, niche-specialist publisher rather than a scaled platform business.

Name

Edizioni Dehoniane Bologna - EDB

Legal name

Società editoriale Il Portico S.p.a.

Website

https://dehoniane.it

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Edizioni Dehoniane Bologna (EDB) is an Italian Catholic publishing house producing theological books, biblical scholarship, and academic journals in Italian. Operating under Il Portico S.p.a., it serves Italian parishes, clergy, scholars, and Catholic schools via its edb.it storefront and digital subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Religious Education & Catechetical Publishing (Sunday School, Catechism, Study Guides) (MPAJAHAC)

Keywords

• Religious book publishing
• Theological journals
• Catholic education materials
• Biblical studies publishing
• Christian spirituality books

Headquarters

HQ city

Bologna

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Sale of printed religious, theological, and biblical books through their e-commerce platform and distributors.
2. Ebook Sales: Digital publication sales through their ebook section.
3. Journal/Periodical Subscriptions: Subscription-based access to religious journals including Messa e Preghiera Quotidiana, Testimoni, Rivista Biblica, Ricerche Teologiche, Orientamenti Pastorali, and other theological publications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

EDB is an Italian religious and theological publishing house that produces, distributes, and sells books in print and ebook formats covering theology, biblical studies, spirituality, liturgy, pastoral care, and biography. The company also publishes and sells subscriptions to nine academic and pastoral journals and operates EDB Scuola Digitale, a digital platform providing educational materials for Catholic schools.

Product overview

Edizioni Dehoniane Bologna (EDB) is an Italian religious publishing house offering a portfolio of physical and digital publications. The core offering consists of books (libri) covering theology, spirituality, biography, and social topics, alongside academic journals (riviste) such as Rivista Biblica, Testimoni, and Ricerche Teologiche. Digital products include eBooks and the dedicated EDB Scuola Digitale platform for educational materials. Thematic collections (percorsi tematici) provide curated reading paths on specific spiritual and pastoral topics. The company also offers subscription services (abbonamenti) for regular deliveries and maintains the Enchiridion as an online reference catalog.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Libri EDB (Physical Books) Physical books in Italian covering theology, religious studies, spirituality, biography, and social commentary, published by Edizioni Dehoniane Bologna and sold through edb.it for clergy, scholars, and lay readers.
• eBook EDB Digital ebook versions of EDB's catalog available for purchase and download through the dedicated ebook section of edb.it.
• Riviste EDB (Theological and Pastoral Journals) Subscription-based academic and pastoral journals covering theology, biblical studies, religious education, evangelization, exegesis, and church history, distributed via edb.it.
• EDB Scuola Digitale Digital educational resources and materials for Catholic schools, providing textbooks and curriculum-aligned content for the IRC religious education curriculum in Italy.
• Abbonamenti EDB (Subscriptions) Subscription service offering regular delivery of EDB books and magazines, with promotional subscription campaigns marketed to individual readers and institutions.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Il Portico S.p.a.coreOthersIl Portico S.p.a. is the parent company that owns Edizioni Dehoniane Bologna (EDB). EDB operates as a publishing brand under the Il Portico editorial group.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Libreria Editrice Vaticana: The Vatican's official publishing house for papal documents and Church magisterial texts — operates in the same Catholic-publishing ecosystem as EDB, particularly for theological and liturgical reference content.
• Edizioni Piemme: Large Italian publisher (DeA Planeta group) with significant religious, children's, and general trade titles — competes in adjacent Catholic and values-based publishing categories.
• Edizioni San Paolo: One of Italy's largest Catholic publishing houses, part of the San Paolo Group, publishing books, periodicals, and educational materials across theology, spirituality, and catechesis — directly comparable to EDB's core religious-publishing activities but at significantly larger scale.

Emerging players

• Urbaniana University Press: Pontifical Urbaniana University's publishing arm producing scholarly theological and missiological works — comparable in niche scholarly-religious publishing to EDB's academic journal and biblical-studies titles.
• Pontificia Università Gregoriana Editrice: Pontifical Gregorian University publishing house producing theological and pastoral scholarship — partial overlap with EDB's academic theological titles and journals.

Direct peers

• Ancora Editrice: Milan-based Catholic publisher producing books on spirituality, theology, and pastoral care — comparable to EDB's theological and pastoral publishing activities.
• Queriniana Editrice: Brescia-based Italian publisher focused on theology, biblical studies, and spirituality with both scholarly and popular titles — directly comparable to EDB's theological and biblical publishing niche.
• Editrice Elledici: Italian Catholic publisher specializing in catechetical textbooks, religious education materials, and youth-focused faith formation — directly comparable to EDB's catechetical and educational publishing activities.
• Edizioni Dehoniane Bologna - EDB: This entry refers to the anchor company itself and should not be listed as a peer; included by error and excluded.
• Cittadella Editrice: Italian Catholic publisher producing theological, biblical, pastoral, and spiritual books plus religious journals — overlaps with EDB's theological books and journals portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/edizioni-dehoniane-bologna

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Edizioni Dehoniane Bologna - EDB