“Formaggeria Barbieri” was founded in 1968 in Bologna, inside the Mercato delle Erbe, a historic city icon and reference point for the Bolognese, by the brothers Paolo and Bruno, thanks to their great passion for cheese.

Who we are

The “Formaggeria Barbieri” was founded in 1968 in Bologna, within the Mercato delle Erbe, a historic city icon and reference point for the Bolognese, by the brothers Paolo and Bruno, thanks to their great passion for cheese.

From 1968 to today, the cheese shop has continued its business uninterruptedly, maintaining its position on the market and remaining faithful to its values:

the promotion of high quality products, a service that lives up to the trust placed by its customers and the continuous search for local and international dairy excellence.

The "Formaggeria Barbieri" is one of the most "ancient" cheese shops in Italy.

THE ORIGINS

In 1968 the brothers Paolo and Bruno, who had started as little boys to be shop boys, at the time were already employees at other cheese shops in the city but decide to embark on a new path and set up their own business, creating a cheese shop that reflects their vision and convey their dedication to work. The ideal place identified to make one's dream come true is the shop inside the Mercato delle Erbe, the main covered retail center of the city since 1910. In the first years of activity, the two brothers are joined by the figure of their father Hamlet a precious help in the operational aspects of the shop.

In those years the main products were national and regional cheeses, starting from the legendary Parmigiano-Reggiano, passing from the Tuscan and Sicilian pecorino cheeses to Gorgonzola up to the local cow cheeses, one above all, the "Castel San Pietro". The only international exceptions were the Swiss Emmental, the Sbrinz, the Dutch and the Bavarian Bergader.

INTERNATIONALIZATION

In the 80s and 90s the cheese offer was enriched with a vast selection of French products, which allowed the cheese shop to position itself as one of the main points of reference for lovers of French cheese in the city. At the same time, the search for national excellence is also being carried out and this will make it possible to expand the selection of pecorino cheese and products from artisan dairies in Piedmont, Calabria, Campania and Puglia. In addition, even the Greek product par excellence, Feta, enters the cheese shop counters.

THE CHANGE OF VISION

2000-2010 In these years there will be a generational change of customers and their dairy preferences, mainly due to the definitive affirmation of the stores of the large commercial chains within the city "walls". This fact will lead the brothers Bruno and Paolo Barbieri to change the role of the cheese shop, focusing their product offer, even more on “small” local and international dairy excellences.

THE NEW GENERATIONS

2014 passes to the second family generation, with the entry of Alberto, Paolo's son, who will carry on the transformation begun in the 2000s, allowing the cheese shop to become a shop par excellence for Bolognese gourmets and one of the favorite destinations of cheese-loving foreign tourists.

Alberto, Onaf certified taster, selects and chooses the cheeses according to the rhythms of the cheesemakers, of nature, of the quality of the product.

The "FORMAGGISTA"

new professional figure specially coined by Sveva when asked what job her dad does. It has introduced new products to be able to offer a wide range of combinations with jams, marmalades, honeys or with the more daring ones such as mustards and sauces.

TODAY

Thanks to the work of Alberto (our cheesemaker), the shop is not just a place where you can buy excellent cheese, among a selection of a hundred cheeses, but also a place where you can receive advice on culinary combinations, which cheese is right for the occasion and also which wine is the perfect match.

In 2018 Formaggeria Barbieri celebrated its fiftieth year of activity and for this occasion it was awarded the recognition of "Italian historical workshop" by the municipality of Bologna.