Cortilia - Designing an AI-Powered Meal Ecosystem
ROLE
Research & Strategy
INDUSTRY
Consumer Technology & Telecommunications
Timeline
April '25 - May '25
undertaken at
Politecnico di Milano
Challenge
How can a leading Italian Grocery platform, rooted in sustainability, and fresh local produce innovate their product service system?
Cortilia is Italy’s leading farm-to-home platform, and It already sits at the intersection of fresh, local supply chains and habitual weekly shopping. It connects customers with farmers, artisans, and small producers, promoting sustainable and seasonal food consumption.
Our task, as product service system designers was to identify promising and aligned areas of innovation within Cortilia’s existing system.
impact
But first, a short story about Lorenzo,
an existing customer of Cortilia .
Swiftrac reimagined ASB Glassfloor’s interactive flooring as a scalable training service for aviation ground staff, tackling high turnover, long training cycles, and new bans on on-site training. We designed an immersive arena for teams to rehearse real scenarios, supported by a dashboard with a Readiness Score and a digital twin of the team to track compliance, performance, and coordination.
Along the way, we addressed critical gaps: reducing dependence on costly simulators, enabling team-based drills, and reframing ASB from a product company into a service ecosystem innovator. The sprint’s tight three-week window and limited stakeholder access were real hurdles, but they forced sharper decisions and clearer storytelling. The result was a validated business opportunity that showed how immersive tech can move beyond spectacle to deliver resilience, efficiency, and safety where it matters most.
impact
If only there was a way for Giulia to go about her week, cook wholesome meals, and have someone else do the planning...
Long Story Short
What ~ Why ~ How?
Our work with Cortilia, Italy’s leading farm-to-home platform, focused on analyzing its well-established product–service system and reimagining where innovation could add the most value.
Using Horizon scanning, desk and market research, User journey mapping, offering map, and the 10 Types of Innovation, we uncovered key gaps. While Cortilia excelled in logistics and sustainability upstream, customers still faced decision fatigue in meal planning, producers lacked visibility beyond transactions, and Cortilia itself needed new ways to deepen loyalty and reduce household food waste.
From this, we designed AI-powered family meal kits and a tiered Cortilia subscription plans - Plus and Elite, that combines personalization, rewards, and community events. The solution reduced friction for customers, created loyalty-driven revenue for Cortilia, and elevated producers as partners through workshops and farm-to-table experiences. In short, we reframed Cortilia from a delivery service into a future-ready lifestyle ecosystem, one that personalizes meals, embeds sustainability at the household level, and creates shared value across all stakeholders.
For Customers
Increased visibility, demand stability, and value creation beyond just being “suppliers.”
For Cortilia
Easier weekly planning, healthier and more personalized meals, engaging rewards
For Producers
stronger retention and community engagement, new revenue stream, higher cart value.
overview
On the surface, the system is well-structured. Yet, when we mapped its flows and touchpoints, a few opportunities emerged:
Decision fatigue for users:
while Cortilia offers curated boxes, customers still face dozens of product and recipe choices weekly, without adaptive personalization.
Producers remain in the background:
Farmers enable the system and are emerging as partners, but are rarely visible in the customer experience.
Linear loyalty system:
Customers pay for convenience, but there’s no engaging, value-driven reason to stay subscribed longer or engage beyond the box
Meanwhile, subscription commerce in food/grocery is projected to grow at 13% CAGR in Europe through 2030 (Allied Market Research).
This gap is reflected in the market ~ 47% of European online grocery shoppers say meal planning feels like a burden (Statista, 2023)
Research shows 72% of European consumers value transparency about who grows their food, but most platforms don’t deliver this beyond labels (EIT Food, 2022).
cortilia's story
Experience & locality keep winning:
European grocery trends point to value, private-label, and mission-led brands; pairing shopping with producer experiences builds loyalty beyond price.
How does Cortilia create engagement and impact?
Promoting Conscious Consumption
Provides detailed product information to educate consumers about food origins and production methods.
Encourages sustainable choices by offering aesthetically imperfect but high-quality products at discounted prices through its "Ugly but Good" initiative.
Personalized Experience
Cortilia offers customized packages of fresh ingredients based on individual preferences.
Building Trust
Creates transparency in the supply chain, allowing customers to connect with local producers virtually.
Enhances user experience through an updated digital platform that simplifies the shopping process.
Reducing Food Waste
Ensures that products rejected by supermarkets due to appearance still reach consumers, minimizing waste while supporting producers.
Our persona formation is grounded in the language and context surrounding how customers approach Cortilia, through weekly meals, customizable boxes, and convenience-first planning.
while Cortilia offers curated boxes, customers still face dozens of product and recipe choices weekly, without adaptive personalization.
Based on Cortilia’s positioning in Northern Italy’s urban centers, its focus on sustainability, and broader Italian market data, we inferred likely user profiles. Research shows that Italian online grocery buyers are 25–44, predominantly urban, female, and quality-conscious — favoring organic and regional produce. These insights helped us frame personas that reflect Cortilia’s probable customer base.
Secondary market research (food delivery and grocery trends in Italy)
Cortilia’s customer reviews (Trustpilot, App Store, Instagram comments)
Press release data about their user base
Giulia
Busy Working Mom.
PROFILE
35, consultant in Milan
Married, 2 kids (ages 6 & 9), Dual-income household
CONTEXT
Long hours, limited time to plan or shop. Cooks 3–4 times per week.
CHALLENGES
Time poverty - struggles with daily planning.
Decision fatigue - too many choices online.
Worries about food waste & family nutrition.
NEEDS
Quick, balanced meals for the family. Involve kids in food choices. Cut waste while keeping variety.
Lorenzo
Young Professional
PROFILE
29, marketing manager in Milan, Lives alone, active lifestyle, social, Higher disposable income
CONTEXT
Prioritizes healthy eating but juggles long workdays and fitness.
Experiments with new foods; avoids ultra-processed.
Shops online for convenience, mixes meal prep with dining out.
CHALLENGES
Meal monotony → repeats simple recipes.
Time scarcity → little energy to plan.
Unsure how to shop sustainably as an individual.
NEEDS
Maintain a varied, nutrient-rich diet.
Explore new recipes without heavy planning.
Support local producers sustainably.
What directions emerged for future users that Cortilia can implement or avoid?
Based on the analysis of trends and users, this step focused on synthesizing insights, to converge on three promising directions.
A glimpse of the framework we used to explore, our findings, and converge on opportunity areas
What did we learn from our competitors?
While analyzing Cortilia, we also reviewed Naturasì, another Italian sustainable food retailer.
Our key learnings:
Partner (Farmer Visibility):
Farmers can be active actors in loyalty systems, not just invisible suppliers
Loyalty:
Rewards can extend beyond groceries to experiences, strengthening loyalty.
Beyond Transactions:
However, the model remains transactional-first (buy, earn and redeem). Behavior-based nudges (eg. seasonality, waste reduction) are not integrated.
key opportunity areas
Reimagine the meal planning process to be more convenient and time-saving for families and Professionals
How might we reimagine the meal planning process to be more convenient and time-saving for families and professionals?
Empower customers to make sustainable and transparent food choices that align with their values.
How might we make sustainable food choices (seasonal, low-waste, local) the default, without adding effort or complexity for customers?
Strengthen user loyalty by creating engaging and rewarding experiences that go beyond transactions.
How might we design meaningful incentives and engagement that turn occasional buyers into loyal Cortilia members?
The Concept
Taste Tailor
Cortilia’s multi-tiered nutrition plan combines advanced AI with a product-service ecosystem designed to reduce decision fatigue, promote healthier eating, and strengthen local food networks.
Plus
Customers move from a Classic shopping experience to Cortilia Plus, where AI-curated shopping bags adapt to family profiles, dietary needs, and seasonal produce.
Elite
At the highest tier, Cortilia Elite rewards loyalty with points that unlock immersive farm-to-table events, cooking workshops, and agro-tourism experiences, transforming grocery shopping into a lifestyle of sustainability, connection, and trust
Product
Service
Promotion
Smart “Family Bag” planning
Consolidated weekly bags, swaps for seasonality & variety, smart recipes.
Optional nudges (“high-protein swap available”) designed to be transparent and opt-in, with nutritionist partners.
AI-powered family profiles
preferences, allergies, caloric needs, and activity level, unique flavour map
Gamification
Users earn points for sustainable choices (seasonal swaps, zero-waste cooking) , not just purchases.
Agro events & Tours
Farm-to-table dinners, agro-tourism visits, producer workshops. Partially funded by points + user contribution, co-hosted with farmers/partners
Partnerships
with schools, offices, and sustainability-oriented companies to host co-branded events.
Partner (Farmer) Visibility
Producers positioned not just as suppliers but as partners in the Cortilia experience.
Transparency
End-to-end tracking of where produce came from, with farmer profiles integrated (NaturaSì does this too, but your system ties it into loyalty + events).
Freemium to Subscription Funnel
Classic, Plus and Elite
Agro events & tourism as a brand story
Marketing beyond food delivery, into lifestyle.
Awareness Channels (B2B Outreach and Marketing)
promotion of agrotourism as an employee and student engagement opportunity. Feature real farmers & chefs in campaigns, bridging digital and physical experiences.
Risks and how we can mitigate them
What if it’s not scalable and too expensive to operate?
Why?
Personalized packaging and logistics could quickly become unmanageable if every order was built from scratch. Warehouses and delivery chains would face rising costs.
What can be done?
family bag templates - Each household is mapped to a base template (Vegetarian, Keto), and AI fine-tunes the last 10–20% (allergies, swaps, or preferences).
Even if a family has mixed diets (one vegan, one keto, one omnivore), most ingredients overlap. Templates capture the majority, while only a small share needs custom handling. That balance keeps operations lean while maintaining personalization.
20% (Allergies, Preferences)
80% Core Family bag with overlapping ingredients
Member 1
Member 2
Member 3
What if the AI gets allergies wrong?
How can we Handle edge cases?
Why?
What can be done?
If a serious allergen gets included in the family bag, it could harm the customer and instantly destroy trust in the system. Parents won’t risk reordering from the app.
How can we design layers of defense so the system doesn’t rely only on AI guesses?
Anna is allergic to Zucchini
This bag contains zucchini, which conflicts with your allergy settings.
Swap for eggplant
Remove
Before checkout, the system scans the bag and alert users:
Allergen automatically excluded at database level.
The warehouse software cross-checks digital pick lists. If anomalies appear, a worker intervenes
Edge Case - an allergen slips through, customers are proactively notified via the app
Family A’s bag contains an allergen.
This week’s bag includes zucchini. Please exclude it.
Manual check
Ok, I understand
Contact Support
What If Personalized Logistics Overwhelm Cortilia’s Backend?
Why?
What can be done?
Keto
Omnivore
Omnivore (Base)
+
personalised swaps
Vegan
Unlike standard e-commerce (one SKU, many customers), Cortilia Plus/Elite requires AI-driven, profile-specific bags. Each swap increases backend complexity. this can overwhelm workers, slow fulfillment, and cause mistakes.
How Can We Keep Operations Lean While Still Offering Personalization?
orders are grouped into broad base clusters (Omnivore Default, Vegetarian, Keto). AI fine-tunes the last 10–20% for each family
If an item runs out, the system swaps it with a flavor-compatible, in-stock ingredient (Basil swapped for parsley), avoiding delays on the line
Base bags are picked in bulk, then personalized swaps are added in small labeled sub-bags (“Anna – tofu swap”).
Clustered base Templates
Dynamic Substitution
Transparent tracking
Family bag is ready (base items + separate personalised swaps)
Batching & Color-Coding:
Giulia
Anna
Luca
Your family bag has been customised at the warehouse
Track delivery
Dismiss
How might we measure success?
Net Promoter Score
AI Satisfaction Index
Customer Satisfaction
Classic avg. basket
Supply Side
Plus
Transparent Swaps Rate
Accurate Suggestions Rate
Allergy-Safe Confidence
Elite
Farmer surplus reduced by 3% this month
Meals wasted/household/month reduced by 5%
Demand Side
Industry benchmark
Total Score
Plus
Elite
A Plus member spends 33% more than Classic
Seasonal swaps have risen +3% in the last 2 weeks
Plus avg. basket
Elite avg. basket
Overall Acceptance
Average Order Value (AOV)
Food Waste Reduction
Subscription Renewal Rate (6 mos.)
Swap Acceptance Rate
€48
€64
€82
55%
28%
10%
65%
84%
78%
85%
88%
45%
86%
22.8%
13.9%
11.2%
Seasonal
22.8%
Nutritional
13.9%
Preferential
11.2%
Passives
4%
Detractors
1%
Net Promoter Score
95%
0%
100%
Passives
7%
Detractors
3%
Net Promoter Score
91%
0%
100%
Plus
Elite
90%
0%
100%
90%
0%
100%
Work
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ankulkarni98@gmail.com
Anuja Kulkarni
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