The Shock of a 1 Euro Delivery Cost: The Progress of "Aerial Delivery" Experiments in Finland - The Future of the Last Mile as Envisioned by Wolt×Manna×Huuva

In the Nordic winter, a notification like this arrives on your smartphone.

"This order might be delivered by drone."

Outside, it's a rainy, overcast day. A blue drone silently glides over the Nittari district of Espoo, a few subway stops away from the center of Helsinki. As it approaches the landing point, it lowers its altitude and gently delivers the meal to the ground with a thin rope. The user, who has come to pick it up, can get their lunch in a few minutes without closing their umbrella.

"Can drone delivery really work in Finland's bad weather?"—In search of the answer, a startup, a platform, and a drone company are quietly conducting experiments.TechCrunch

Huuva×Manna×Wolt—The "Aerial Kitchen" Concept by Three Companies

At the center of this project is the Finnish startup Huuva. The company name means "range hood (kitchen hood)," and initially, it raised funds with a model that delivered the flavors of popular restaurants to the suburbs as a cloud kitchen. In 2022, it secured funding in a seed round led by General Catalyst, growing with the mission of "providing delicious options to the suburbs."TechCrunch

Joining them is the Irish drone delivery company Manna and the delivery platform Wolt, a subsidiary of DoorDash. Manna has accumulated over 50,000 deliveries in Dublin and has already built up expertise and regulatory compliance in drone delivery.TechCrunch

When you order from Huuva's Espoo Nittari location via the Wolt app, if conditions are right, a notification will indicate that "drone delivery is possible." Users complete their orders in the same flow as regular delivery, without any special operations. In the kitchen, dishes from multiple brands are prepared in parallel, and some of them eventually take to the skies.TechCrunch

Why Nittari?—The Perfect Balance of "Suburb" and "Density"

Espoo is part of the Helsinki metropolitan area, but it has fewer dining options compared to the city center. With scattered universities and offices, there are many people, but not a variety of restaurants within walking distance—this "just right suburban feel" is ideal for drone delivery experiments, says Huuva founder Ville Leppälä.TechCrunch

Although suburban areas in Europe are not as sprawling as in America, there are still many areas where "choices are limited without a car." In response, Huuva has gathered popular chains and trendy restaurant brands into a single kitchen, allowing users to order them all through an app. In Nittari, this "virtual food court" has added a new layer of drone delivery.TechCrunch

From Order to Landing: Behind the Scenes of Lunch Coming from the Sky

The user experience is surprisingly simple, but behind the scenes, meticulous operations are running.

1. Order: Users select Huuva's store on the Wolt app and can order not only food and drinks but also products from Wolt Market (an online-only grocery store).TechCrunch

2. Pickup: The food prepared in the kitchen is first transported by delivery staff on eco-scooters to Manna's nearby launch pad.TechCrunch

3. Loading onto the Drone: Manna's operator places the package on a scale to check the weight balance. It can carry up to about 2 kg (4.4 pounds), and sometimes two drones are dispatched simultaneously. The contents are placed in a special bag approved by regulatory authorities to protect them from falling and weather conditions.TechCrunch

4. Flight Plan and Final Check: Behind the Finnish on-site staff is "Mission Control" in Ireland. There, they use LiDAR maps to confirm flight routes and altitudes, set a safe drop point near the customer's home, and the drone sends a photo of the landing site from above, allowing the operator to give final approval before release.TechCrunch

5. Release and Handover: Once approved, the drone descends to a certain altitude and slowly lowers the bag to the ground with a biodegradable rope. The user simply walks to the notified location, detaches the bag, and takes it home.TechCrunch

If the weather or surrounding conditions do not meet the standards, the order is automatically switched to delivery by a regular courier. The system is designed with the premise that "there are days when it's safer not to fly," making it a real service rather than just a demo.TechCrunch

Safety Measures and Redundancy: Drones Equipped with Parachutes

It's not just food flying through the air. Batteries, electronics, and above all, the risk of "what if" are flying as well. Manna has built a system with high redundancy based on this premise.TechCrunch

• The drone's battery is replaced after each flight, ensuring it always flies in a "fully charged state."

• Multiple backups are prepared for the control system, designed to land safely in case of anomaly detection.

• As a last resort for unexpected troubles, a parachute is equipped.

Furthermore, since food is handled, the option of "applying anti-freezing agents to the aircraft" is not taken. In Finland, in addition to rain and snow, "icing" on wings and propellers is a major issue, but when such conditions are strongly suspected, the operation is thoroughly switched to other means without flying the drone.TechCrunch

Cost from 5-6 Euros to 1 Euro? The Impact of Unit Economics

According to Huuva's estimates, the cost per delivery by a conventional courier is about 5-6 euros (approximately 800-1,000 yen). On the other hand, if drone delivery scales sufficiently, this cost could potentially drop to around 1 euro.TechCrunch

Of course, since Manna's fixed costs for preparation and equipment investment are currently included, it's not a "1 euro right now" story. Still, if an aerial delivery infrastructure less affected by labor costs is established, it is certain that the pricing structure and profit model of food delivery will change significantly in the future.

Another study shows that electric drone delivery like Manna's can significantly reduce CO₂ emissions compared to traditional vehicle delivery. One report indicates up to an 85% reduction in CO₂ emissions, demonstrating the environmental advantages of drone delivery.

Finland as a "Bad Weather Test"

For Manna's drones, which have been battered by wind and rain in Ireland, the Finnish winter is like a "graduation exam." Snow can be handled in the same category as rain and wind, but as mentioned earlier, the most troublesome issue is icing.TechCrunch

Nevertheless, the Finnish on-site team has already managed to complete "double-digit deliveries in a day." As they prepare for the upcoming full-scale winter, they are aiming to further refine their operations. Huuva is also considering expanding to locations other than Nittari and is contemplating a structure where food can be directly handed over to drones from the kitchen window in the future.TechCrunch

Robots Galore: Automation in Delivery on Land and in the Air

Wolt is not only experimenting with drones. In Finland, self-driving robots like Coco and Starship are already running on sidewalks, quietly delivering food. Parent company DoorDash is operating its self-developed robot "Dot" in Arizona and is collaborating with Wing, a subsidiary of Google's parent company Alphabet, on drone delivery, adopting an "all-around strategy for the last mile."TechCrunch

Meanwhile, drone delivery is not just a story in Finland. Projects to deliver food and daily necessities by drone are increasing across the United States and Europe, and one survey shows that about 60% of consumers are positive about the idea of drone delivery. Particularly for "small and urgent purchases," more than half are considering drones as an option.

The experiment being conducted in Espoo, Finland, can be seen as a symbol of this global trend.

Four Reaction Patterns on Social Media

When such futuristic projects are announced, social media is always abuzz with mixed opinions. Observing timelines in Finland and abroad, they can be roughly classified into the following four patterns.

1. The Purely Excited Group
   Voices celebrating the realization of science fiction, such as "It's amazing that ramen can fly even in the snow" and "It tickles the geek heart." Many people post videos of drones flying in the sky, with hashtags like "#dronelunch" and "#Espoo" lined up.

2. The Realists Who Value Practicality
   A group focusing on convenience and the improvement of suburban quality of life, with comments like "It's great not to get caught in traffic jams" and "It seems like there will be more options even in rural areas." Especially from families with children or the elderly, voices like "If it means not having to walk on snowy roads, it's welcome" are common.

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