You know when you hear about something that makes you curious so much to say “sooner or later I’ll try it”? Well, it has happened to me with Cortilia.
I found out about this service few time ago and since then I have always postponed to test it when I finally decided.

I make a premise that I think it’s necessary.
I have freely decided to try this service and write this article. The idea to test some innovative services (mostly related to digital, a field that I really love ;)) available in my city was humming in my head since time. I think that try services and share the my experience can be helpful to other people. For this reason I have decided to open a new category on this blog that I’ve called “Modena just a click away”, where I’ll talk about all those services and apps that should help you to enjoy Modena.

My experience with Cortilia

Back to Cortilia, what is it? It’s the first Italian online agricultural marketplace that connects consumers and farmers. Aggregating the local farmers online in different local markets, this e-commerce makes it possible to buy fresh food as you were in the countryside.
With a simple click you can buy directly from local producers! I love this thing: first because I like buying online and secondly because meeting new local realities makes me always very happy. We are so much used to going to the supermarket that discover small companies it is always a good thing 😉

The purchase process is very simple: you go on the site (or you can download the app) and you register for free indicating your mail and the city where you live. In this way you’ll be immediately localized thanks to the postal code and associated with your agricultural market. Then, there are 2 ways to continue your shopping: the first one is by a subscription – once activated you will regularly receive a box (a fruit box, a vegetables box, a fruit and vegetables box etc… the possibilities are different and all boxes are customizable) – the second one is by an occasional purchase, which means that you can buy what you want for a minimum of 39 euro. I’ve chosen the last one.

I’ve bought seasonal vegetables and fruit, a pack of flour, a tomato sauce, a craft beer, some cookies, a pack of “tigelle” and some natural cleaning products. I’ve not bought meat or cheese because I wanted to test before the delivery system avoiding to have any unexpected problem with fresh products. The total costs of my purchase was about 40 Euros and the products on my final list come from 7 different companies.

Once finished the shopping, before the payment, you can select the day and the time for the delivery, during afternoon from 14:00 to 21:30 is free.
Payment can be made by credit card or Paypal. Once you paid, you will receive a confirmation email with the order receipt/invoice. Next, they will send you again a second email with the time estimated for delivery. The ones that I received indicated “16:58”, which made me smile but at the same time makes me understand how the service could be efficient. The delivery is always a critical point for e-commerce: I’m not so often at home and the idea of organizing my day in order to receive my purchase disturb me a little bit. The service was so precise that the day before I received a “reminder” via SMS and the same day a refund, since one of the products I had ordered was not available. The delivery, then, was impeccable – it has anticipated one hour (it’s required to be available for the entire slot of time, especially an hour before and half an hour later).

And here it is my beautiful box with fresh products purchased directly from the farmer and grown in sustainable way by local farms or from Italian manufacturers.

What I like of Cortilia

The service is interesting and practical, ideal for those people who search authentic flavors and quality products. It promotes local cultures and local products. The delivery system has convinced me. Anyway, the fact of waiting for your box at the address indicated in your order remains: it’s not available any additional delivery. In case you are not at home your order will be given to charity. Only if specifically indicated in the order, you can request to leave your box in front of your door – of course it’s not recommended for products as cheese and meat.

In the end, I think I’ll try again the Cortilia experience, maybe ordering a box full of fresh vegetables, which I found really good! 🙂