My Take on POTAGER CITY: Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Straight from the Producer

All experts agree on this, and you hear it everywhere: you should eat 5 servings of fruit and veggies every day!

To help you diversify your diet, Potager City offers a subscription service that delivers a basket of fruit and vegetables every week. And as a bonus, you’ll be supporting the local economy, as all produce comes exclusively from partnering local growers!

I've tested Potager City in the Bordeaux region for several months. Today, I'm sharing my experience with you.

What is Potager City?

💖 I loved it

• The overall quality of the fruits and vegetables,
• The time-saving benefits of this system,
• Discovering new local producers,
• The app, which is also handy for saving time,
• The simple kraft packaging, which is close to zero waste!

❌ I liked it less

• The pricing is a bit high,
• Few collection points in rural areas.

How does Potager City work?

Potager City offers you the chance to save time on your grocery shopping by collecting fresh fruit and vegetable baskets close to home. You can choose:

• only fruits,
• only vegetables,
• a mix of both.

The possible quantities are:

• 2.5 kgs of fruit (recommended for 2 to 3 people),
• 3 kgs of vegetables (recommended for 2 to 3 people),
• 4.5 kgs of assorted fruit and vegetables (recommended for 2 to 3 people),
• 6 kgs of assorted fruit and vegetables (recommended for 4 to 5 people).

Are they seasonal fruits and vegetables?

Absolutely! In fact, this is the primary criterion for selecting the products delivered by Potager City. There's no way you'll receive strawberries in the middle of October or tomatoes in December! Your baskets will be filled only with seasonal fruits and vegetables, carefully chosen for their quality.

Potager City values the importance of the seasonal calendar

Where do the products delivered by Potager City come from?

The Potager City team strives to prioritise local produce as much as possible. When you sign up, you'll be asked which region you live in: this will help us deliver fruits and vegetables grown near you.

🍌 For exotic fruits that don’t grow in our regions, Potager City collaborates with certified organic partner producers. We purchase these products directly from them, ensuring they are paid a fair price for their work.

Can you add products to your order?

Of course. Once you’ve registered (you don’t need a subscription, just create an account using your email), you’ll have access to the Potager City shop. Here, you can order additional products to go with your basket. These may include:

• Specific fruits and vegetables from a producer,
• Organic eggs in packs of 6 or 12,
• Herb bouquets,
• Flour,
• Cane sugar,
• Jams,
• Fruit juices,
• Assorted savoury groceries...

👉 This is really handy because it allows you to pick up other responsible and local products while you collect your groceries, saving you the need to make regular trips to a health shop, for instance.

Is there a commitment at Potager City?

Not at all! You have two ordering options available to you:

• No subscription: in this case, you will receive just one box. It's perfect for trying it out!
• With subscription: you receive a box every week, but you can pause, change, or cancel your subscription at any time.

How does delivery and collection of the baskets work?

Unlike some other competitors, Potager City does not deliver baskets directly to your home. Instead, they are dropped off at a collection point, at a nearby partner retailer.

There are many pick-up points in France: over 6,300 at the moment! By clicking on this link, you'll find the nearest one to you!

As the name suggests, Potager City is more established in urban areas. The brand does its best to set up collection points in rural zones, but these are less common.

Potager City is present in major cities across France, offering numerous collection points.

🏢 You can also get direct deliveries to your workplace, if your company is a partner! If you work for a company, don't hesitate to ask them about it.

What is the price of Potager City baskets? 💰

Potager City offers two different baskets, along with a discount of $1 for those who choose a subscription (no commitment required).

Here are the details of the prices offered by Potager City:

You can add options:

• 6 organic eggs for $3 per week,
• 125g of organic dried fruit for $3 per week.

How is the price of baskets calculated?

Potager City is very transparent about the prices of its boxes. It’s about fairly compensating the producer as well as everyone involved in the delivery chain (packaging, teams, rents...).

What payment methods are available on Potager City?

You can pay using a credit card, Visa, MasterCard, or American Express. You can also use your meal vouchers with the Edenred and Swile meal voucher cards.

👉 You can't pay for your Potager City basket using PayPal.

How to pay with meal vouchers on Potager City?

All you need is a Swile or Edenred meal voucher card. When it's time to pay, simply click on Meal Voucher Cards and enter your account details:

Screenshot of what will appear on the site at the time of checkout

What does a Potager City basket look like? Watch the video to find out!

To help you better visualise a City garden planter, you can watch this video:

It is evident that the fruits and vegetables are diverse and of high quality. The packaging is a simple recycled and recyclable kraft paper bag, making the offering accessible even for those who lead a zero-waste lifestyle.

In a basket, you will find some fruits or vegetables (or both, depending on your choice) freshly picked and in season. As they come from local producers, they haven't traveled far to reach you. It's just like buying them at the market, but it saves you time!

Contents of a 4.5 kg Potager City basket

Is the Potager City app worth it?

On their site, Potager City encourages you to download the app on your smartphone. It's highly rated on both Google Play and the App Store, so I decided to take a look.

What features does the Potager City mobile app offer?

Once you've created an account, it's really handy and allows you to place your orders directly, as well as view the contents of this week’s shopping cart.

You also have access to the online store, which lets you add grocery items (juices, jams...) or other fruits and vegetables to your order.

The app also offers you guided recipes, which are very handy for learning how to cook the fruits and vegetables in your basket. You'll find detailed articles on all the fruits and vegetables available in your basket (storage, preparation, etc.). Lastly, you'll get information about Potager City's partner producers.

How to download the Potager City app?

You can find it by following the links below:

• On Google Play for an Android smartphone,
• On the App Store for an iPhone.

✅ In summary, the app is really handy and makes it easy to manage your subscription, all while discovering delicious and simple recipe ideas!

Can you gift a Potager City garden basket? 🎁

At the moment, Potager City doesn’t offer gift cards. However, you can give a basket by signing up and choosing a non-subscription delivery. You can also add other items (eggs, jams, fruit juices, dried fruits, etc.) by selecting them from the shop.

👪 It's a great gift idea for:

• A student who struggles to afford good food,
• A busy young couple who don’t have time to go to the market,
• An elderly person living at home who would like to cook,
• A person or couple who work long hours and want to eat well,
• A family wanting to enjoy local produce and a variety of balanced meals.

How to implement Potager City in your business?

Do you want the business you lead or work for to become a collection point for Potager City baskets? It's completely free, and by doing this, you also allow your employees or colleagues to benefit from the Potager City subscription.

🥭 Potager City also offers fruit baskets for €25 including VAT, which you can provide in your workplace, for morning tea or coffee breaks, for instance. This allows all your staff to enjoy healthier breaks, while also enhancing their quality of life at work.

What do Potager City customers think? Discover their feedback!

Looking for feedback from other customers is a valuable source of information before signing up for an online service. To save you some time, I've conducted this survey for you and summarised the various reviews available online about Potager City. 😉

On Google

Potager City has 163 reviews on Google and encourages its customers to share their feedback on this platform. While this number isn’t large, it’s enough to get a preliminary insight into customers' opinions on the service provided. The average rating is quite positive, sitting at 4 / 5.

💚 Potager City customers loved:

• The freshness of fruits and vegetables,
• The ability to consume local produce,
• The option to include other products (such as eggs),
• The app,
• The recipes provided in the app,
• The time-saving benefits of this system,
• The ability to easily diversify their diet.

Positive review of Potager City left by a customer on Google

❌ Customers were less impressed:

• The selection of exotic fruits and vegetables that isn't essential for everyone,
• The slightly higher prices for those used to buying their fruits and vegetables at a market.

Mixed review of Potager City left on Google

About Trustpilot

At the time of writing this article, Potager City has a rating of 2.9 / 5 on Trustpilot, which is considered average by the platform. There are fewer customer reviews than on Google, with a total of 69.

This mixed review can be attributed to several customers noticing that there are exotic fruits and vegetables in their Potager City basket. The brand explains its approach: the goal is to sell primarily French products, but occasionally include fruits and vegetables from further afield. However, there are no intermediaries involved, most of these products are organic, and the producer is paid a fair price that reflects the value of their work.

Some customers are also disappointed with the price, which they consider to be high. However, there is a good number of 5-star reviews that praise the concept and the quality of the fruits and vegetables.

Potager City on Social Media

Would you like to stay updated on the news from Potager City? Feel free to follow the team on:

• Twitter,
• Facebook,
• Instagram.

👉 In total, Potager City has nearly 115,000 subscribers who regularly share recipes and the contents of their baskets with the #potagercity hashtag!

Potager City also has a YouTube channel where you can find:

• Step-by-step recipes,
• Interviews with partner producers,
• Advertisements showcasing Potager City.

An example recipe from the YouTube channel Potager City: Cheddar Corn Fritters

Is Potager City a scam?

Potager City is a French company that has been around since 2007. It is based in Lyon, France. The company emerged from a family adventure, as it was founded by two brothers who wanted to offer an easy solution for healthy eating. In 2020, the Carrefour group purchased the start-up.

Potager City is well established in the business landscape and supplies baskets to numerous companies (including large brands) that act as distribution points.

These major French companies are turning to Potager City

If you have any questions, you can get in touch with Potager City through an online form or via email. There is no customer service hotline available. However, the brand is attentive to its customers and responds to feedback left on Google.

✅ Potager City is a French start-up that you can order from with confidence. While we do miss the availability of a phone support service, the company remains responsive via messaging.

My verdict on Potager City ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Usually, I’m someone who buys my fruits and vegetables from local producers at my neighbourhood farmers' market. It takes time, but I don't want to give up on buying local, as it's important to my values.

When I first heard about Potager City, I was drawn in by the idea of buying fresh fruits and vegetables from local producers without having to go to the market. I decided to give it a go for a week without a subscription, then I subscribed for a few months.

As we are three at home (two adults and one child), I opted for the fruit and vegetable basket at $18.90 ($17.90 with a subscription) which includes a variety of produce. The quantity is just right for us for a week, but I often add extra fruits and products (like fruit juices and jams) through the online store. I don’t purchase my eggs from Potager City as I find the price of $3 for six eggs a bit steep.

So far, I have always been happy with the variety of fruits and vegetables as well as their quality. The simple packaging, a recyclable brown paper bag, suits me perfectly. I am also pleased to continue buying local produce, but while saving a lot of time, as I no longer need to go to the market!

I wanted to subscribe my mum, who lives in the countryside, so she could discover the concept, but unfortunately there was no nearby collection point. I was a bit disappointed... I hope there will be a collection point soon!

✅ In summary, I recommend Potager City for the quality of their fruits and vegetables and their commitment to supporting local producers, even though some of their prices can be a bit high at times.

FAQ about Le Petit Ballon: I'm answering YOUR questions!

👉 In this section, I answer the questions you've asked me about Potager City. If you can't find the answer to your query, feel free to ask me in the comments!

How to Place an Order on Potager City?

To place an order with Potager City, you must create an account. If you want to order items such as specific fruits and vegetables, eggs, flour, or sugar, you first need to have ordered a fruit and/or vegetable box. These are additional products that you can add to your weekly box.

Once you've chosen your basket, simply head over to the shop page while still logged in to add individual products.

How to Change Your Box at Potager City?

The box you selected last time doesn't quite suit your needs? You can choose a smaller, larger model or one with different contents.

To do this, simply log in to your Potager City account, then go to the "ACCOUNT" section at the top right, followed by "SUBSCRIPTION". You will then see a page summarising the contents of your weekly order, with a button marked "Cancel / Replace". Just click on that to change your basket for the week. 😉

How to access the recipes at Potager City?

Potager City offers dozens of guided recipes to help you easily cook the fruits and vegetables from your boxes. You have several options to access these recipes:

• Visit the Potager City YouTube channel to watch the step-by-step videos,
• On the homepage of the website, after logging in, click on "MY ACCOUNT" in the top right corner, then select "RECIPE BOOK", and then "VIEW OUR RECIPES".
• From the app, go to the "RECIPES" tab.

👉 From the website and the app, you can save your favourite recipes to easily return to them later.

How to Get a Potager City Coupon or Promo Code?

Potager City is offering a 30% discount on your first order when you enter the promo code "POTAGER" at the checkout.

Does Potager City only offer organic products?

Not necessarily, as the start-up emphasises the closeness to producers. The main aim is to provide regional products. However, the goal is that as many of them as possible work to organic standards, which is indeed the case.

The fruits and vegetables that don’t originate from France (like bananas, kiwifruit, etc.) are mostly organic. The same applies to the grocery items you can add to your weekly shop: sugar, flour, eggs...

How does the Potager City sponsorship work?

Do you want to introduce someone you know to fruit and vegetable boxes? Potager City has an exciting referral offer for you.

By visiting the homepage of the site, then clicking on "MY ACCOUNT", followed by "REFERRAL", you will receive a link that you can share with someone who wants to place an order on the site.

If your referral plays along, they will receive 3 discount codes that can be applied to their first 3 orders:

• -50% off the first item,
• -20% off the second item,
• -10% off the third item.

🤑 You're also in for a treat because you'll enjoy a 50% discount on your next order!

👉 The maximum amount for this discount is $15 NZD.

How to get in touch with Potager City? 📞

Potager City doesn't have a phone support service, but you can get in touch with the team:

• through a form available on the website,
• via email at: framboise@potagercity.fr,
• on social media: Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Source: Potager City on Instagram (@potagercity)

How to Unsubscribe from Potager City?

You can suspend your subscription in two different ways:

• Temporarily,
• Permanently.

🔸 How do I temporarily pause my subscription?

To do this, you'll need to go to your "MY ACCOUNT" section while logged in, and then navigate to "SUBSCRIPTION". After that, head to "SCHEDULE A PAUSE". You just need to specify the period during which you don't want to receive a delivery. It's super handy for holidays! 🌴

🔸 How to Cancel Your Potager City Subscription?

To do this, you need to follow the same steps as before: click on "MY ACCOUNT", then "SUBSCRIPTION", and finally select "SUSPEND WITHOUT RESUMPTION".

If you would like to have your Potager City account deleted, please request this directly from the team via the contact form.

👉 All of these changes must be made no later than two days before your scheduled delivery of your order to be considered.

I hope this experience has inspired you to also give Potager City a go. Feel free to share your thoughts on this service in the comments; I'm really keen to hear what you think! 😉