The Finnish sky, usually a canvas of muted grey, now has a new, buzzing presence. It’s the sound of progress, or maybe just lunch, as drone delivery services take hold. I found myself in Finland, not quite believing what I was seeing: a three-way partnership between Irish drone delivery company Manna, the food delivery platform Wolt (owned by DoorDash), and the food startup Huuva, all working together to get meals airborne.
It started, according to a TechCrunch article published November 30, 2025, as an experiment. Manna, with its sleek, autonomous drones, would ferry food from Huuva, a startup focused on creating virtual restaurants, directly to customers who ordered through Wolt. The whole operation felt like something out of a futuristic movie, yet here it was, in the crisp air of a Helsinki suburb.
The first thing that struck me was the precision. The drones, small but capable, navigated pre-programmed routes with an almost unsettling accuracy. They’d take off from a designated hub, zip across town, and gently lower their precious cargo – a warm pizza, a steaming bowl of noodles – into a waiting yard. The entire process, from order to delivery, took less time than my commute to the office.
“We’re not just delivering food; we’re delivering a new perception of what’s possible,” a Manna spokesperson told TechCrunch, a sentiment that echoed the ambition of the project. It wasn’t just about speed; it was about convenience, efficiency, and a glimpse into a world where the mundane act of ordering food was transformed.
One afternoon, I watched as a drone made its descent. It hovered, whirring, above a small patch of grass. A young woman stepped out of her house, a smile on her face, and retrieved her order. It was a simple moment, but it held a quiet power. This was the future, not as a theoretical concept, but as a reality, unfolding one delivery at a time. The hum of the drone faded, leaving behind a silence that felt both strange and promising.
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