The values that distinguish Cortilia‘s offer and experience yesterday as well as today are: freshness, seasonality, Italianity, and sustainability. Since its origins in 2011, it connects conscious consumers, or those seeking to become so, to local producers and national excellence, through an efficient e-commerce service based on quality and respect for the territory. A unique experience in its variety and among the pioneers in Italy of online grocery shopping at home, it offers the best products from carefully selected farmers, breeders and producers.
About Marco Porcaro and how Cortilia was born
Marco Porcaro is an Italian entrepreneur, his career began in 2004 with the creation of Mobaila, a company specialized in the production and distribution of video community services and applications for the mobile world (among them also the first videoblog for Mobile 3G in Europe), of which he became CEO until 2009. Afterwards, he was one of the co-founders of Viamente, a startup launched in 2009 (and then sold in 2012 to a U.S. industrial group) to offer a web service in software as a service mode for the optimization of the management of corporate fleet for transportation and of onsite services.
Cortilia: technology and good food meet
Cortilia, the 1st online farmers’ market, was born in 2011 from the synthesis of his two greatest passions, technology and good food.
The success of the project and the numerous awards it has received make it one of the ambassadors of Made In Italy food:
- hi-tech developments to guide his idea of innovation, which from the beginning has been oriented toward reducing the distance between producer and consumer. Hence the decision to further accelerate the use of algorithms and artificial intelligence.
- The constant improvement of the home distribution model developed by Cortilia allows for dual benefits, for consumers to have products on their tables that more closely match their taste and in an increasingly quicker timeframe. In parallel, farmers, breeders and all the best producers in the food market can devote themselves without diversion to their main activity: growing and producing products of excellent quality.
“Discovered for you by Cortilia”
Launched in 2021, the “Discovered for you by Cortilia” line is a wide selection of daily grocery essentials from selected partners under the Cortilia brand.
The aim of the project is to enhance stories of excellence of Italian tradition, highlighting their peculiarities and uniqueness and promoting their values , bringing the general public to know them.
The companies involved in “Discovered for you by Cortilia” operate responsibly, ethically and transparently and follow these principles at every step.
- from production-which must follow the timing of nature, respecting people and animals and the requirements of seasonality, freshness and authenticity
- all the way to packaging
- and R&D research, selection and development of packaging solutions with the safest and least impactful on the environment materials , such as only recycled or recyclable plastic, glass and recyclable paper.
The focus on different diets and the spending pattern
Products for vegetarians and consumers with intolerances
The assortment, consisting of more than 2,500 products from more than 250 small and medium producers, also includes a wide range of products, boxes, and vegan recipe kits and is designed to meet the different tastes and needs of consumers.
In the retail sector, Cortilia represents a voice out of the chorus: the company bases its uniqueness on the quality and variety of its offerings. The one promoted by Cortilia is a reasoned, planned and conscious shopping model that combines good food practices with the rhythms of modern life through a business supported by an advanced digital infrastructure and a drive for efficiency at all levels.
Representative of local and sustainable producers in Italy
Cortilia has always chosen Italianity with the aim of being a voice for the rich and varied local and sustainable production. A virtuous choice focused on the constant search and selection of the best Italian producers and products, made according to the highest quality standards, respecting biodiversity and the environment, as well as the traditions and cycles of nature.
The countryside coming to town in the shortest possible time, preserving products during all phases of transport thanks to fully refrigerated logistics. Enhancement of local excellence and promotion of a model partly inspired by the short supply chain, deeply Italian, to safeguard the landscape and food culture.
Working as a system with our supplier partners is crucial to achieving our vision of a sustainable sector/supply chain in the long term. Through our business, we select local producers with whom we see the possibility of a common journey to achieve all-round sustainability goals, thus promoting the advancement of the entire Italian supply chain under the banner of innovation and reduction of environmental impact. “
Cortilia’s upcoming projects
Cortilia’s goal is to continue the development plan on the national territory of the company, which is now present in 800 municipalities in 6 regions (Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont, Veneto, Liguria and Lazio). Within this framework is the recent opening of Rome, an important step in our sustainable growth path, which aims to expand territorial coverage toward an increasingly national presence of Cortilia.
In a period of great uncertainty, such as the current one, we are convinced of the need – but also of the opportunity- to keep supporting the economy of made in Italy and the work of small and medium-sized producers in the area. We have an heritage to safeguard, not only at the eno-gastronomic level but also at the social, environmental and economic levels. We believe that there is room in our country for the progressive adoption of a good and sustainable lifestyle, capable of generating value for everyone – people, society and the environment – starting from a new way of making daily food shopping. “
Marco Porcaro