Roll'd joins drone delivery revolution

Lovers of Vietnamese food in Canberra’s north will soon be able to have it delivered by drone under a new partnership between Wing Australia and Roll’d Vietnamese.

Wing Australia has been delivering a range of food, goods, medications and more to suburbs across the Gungahlin region since 2019.

Now a new deal with Roll’d Vietnamese will see freshly prepared Bahn Mi, rice paper rolls and a range of other authentic regional cuisine take to the skies.

Roll’d chief executive and founder Bao Hoang says investing in drone delivery has been a priority for the company.

“Roll’d has championed their vision for drone delivery and has been a national leader in providing its customers with new delivery options,” he says.

The company was established in 2012 by school friends Bao Hoang, Ray Esquires and Bao’s cousin, Tin Ly.

The deal will help the company deliver on its goal of serving up fresh, fast and authentic Vietnamese cuisine direct to the community.

“Drone delivery will elevate Australia to be the world’s most modern delivery country for food and parcels,” Hoang says, “expanding the choices and reach for local businesses, consumers and our community.”

Roll’d says the deal will also reduce the company’s carbon footprint.

“With drone delivery technology having the potential to replace 2.3 billion Australian vehicle kilometres each year by 2030, we’ll see huge national reductions in CO2 emissions,” Hoang says.

Wing Australia’s parent company AlphaBeta says its data shows drone delivery could grow retail sales in Australia by $2.2 billion by 2030.

It also predicts drones will cut delivery costs for businesses by up to $800 million per year in the same period and decrease takeaway food delivery costs by up to 80 or 90 per cent.

During the ACT’s 2021 COVID-19 lockdowns, demand for drone delivery rose sharply.

During that time, Wing Australia made more than 1500 deliveries to homes in Crace, Franklin, Harrison and Palmerston, and essential businesses in Mitchell.

Wing spokesperson Jesse Suskin has welcomed the new partnership.

“We’re delighted to be teaming up with Roll’d to deliver their freshly prepared meals,” he says.

He’s noted in particular the way Roll’d has focused on becoming a leader in innovation and embracing new delivery technologies.

“Roll’d has championed their vision for drone delivery and has been a national leader in providing its customers with new delivery options,” Mr Suskin says.

“Wing made more than 100,000 drone deliveries in Australia in 2021, and we’re looking forward to continuing this growth by expanding our service to more customers and businesses in 2022,” says Mr Suskin.

Wing hopes to expand drone delivery further and offer more options in the future.