Bologna - food stops to taste and buy

You can find all premium local produce at
- Salumeria Simoni
- La Salumeria - Bruno e Franco

As an example the products on sale at Salumeria Simoni https://salumeriasimoni.it/

Normally I’d agree about skipping a Bologna food tour, especially if you mean one of those walks through a market where someone points out things you could easily find yourself. But we took this tour, and it sounds much closer to what you’re looking for. A private driver picked us up in Bologna and took us to the people who make Parmigiano reggiano, traditional balsamic vinegar, lambrusco wine, and prosciutto.

It felt more like visiting four producers than taking a food tour. At each stop, we saw how everything was made, tasted it, and could buy it right there from the producer. You’re not staring at labels in a shop and hoping you picked the good one. The prosciutto stop ended with a huge tasting and a light lunch, then they dropped us back at our hotel.

We did a full day tour with Italian Days https://www.italiandays.it/. We visited a parmesan production and tasting, visited a small family balsamic production with tasting, visited a prosciutto factory with tasting, and then we had a nice lunch at a farm to table restaurant. It was a great day that we have not forgotten. In Bologna itself, I agree, a food tour is not necessary, there are so many great shops/restaurants everyone. Some are specific to the product you are looking for. Enjoy!

If your target is only buying and eating this shops are probably the best ones (in my opinion) for cheeses and cured meat: Simoni, Vecchia Malga, Melega, Tamburini, Formaggeria Barbieri (cheeses only). For Traditional Balsamic Giusti is my favorite in Bologna (in Modena i suggest Consorteria); you can do tasting and find the products in other shops, like for example Gilberto (great place for wines).

@Charles About the walking food tour if you have done one where the "guide" bring only in shops and put you on a table to eat, probably you had a very bad guide! Doing a food tour means not only eating, but explaining the history of a product, how is made, why is so important in local history and culture, why is different from the others in other part of Italy, how to choose and recognize a good one. This is the job of the guide: give these details.
Of course, if you just know the products or you are just expert about food you don't need it. Like if you have a PhD on Art you don't need a guide to visit Uffizi even if is the first time you enter there.
As example: do you know the difference between Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, Balsamic Vinegar of Modena and Balsamic dressing? I mean how are made, the ingredients, how to recognize each. If yes, you don't need a guide to explain that, but you can only need the name of places where to taste different ones and choose your favorite. If no, better a deep explanation about process and differences before start the tasting.

I brought some nice chocolate bars for gifts at Majani. I don’t think they offer tastings.
https://majani.com/en/homepage/

@Virginia
In fact yes, is possible do a tasting at Majani. Is often a stop during a food tour in Bologna, being a very old company. They don't cut a small piece for you from a big bar, but there are small packages very suitable for tasting (the traditional one there is the "Scorza, a "bar" of dark chocolate) and things like Cremino and candy fruit with chocolate are sold even one piece per time.

I looked at their website yesterday since I'm planning a few days in Bologna. It said they are taking a break and will reopen in October. It wasn't clear to me if the shop will be closed or just production.

Whose website says they are closing for a bit? Will they be open by October 9 (when we will be there)?

Whose website says they are closing for a bit?

Majani ecommerce website https://shop.majani.com/en/

And the shop itself is "Temporarily closed" (according to Google)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/5jvTBPVe5AQbgk8V7

Majani has the goal to produce quality chocolate, so when the temperature begins to increase (now in late May / beginning of June) the stop the production and close the shop. They opened again when temperatures drop down. In the past was the half of September, now one month later thanks to the global warming.
So yes: now is closed both the shop and the production. Of course is possible that some other shops have their product, like at Gilberto, the candy shop in via degli Orefici or at la Drogheria della Pioggia (a very old stile grocery if you haven't yet seen it).

We took the all day Italian Days food tour in Bologna and it was fantastic! Highly recommended!