(Photo by Christophe Gateau/dpa/AFP via Getty Images)
Move over ice cream truck. The parent company of Ben & Jerry’s is looking at using drones to deliver ice cream.
On Tuesday, a Japanese drone startup announced it was partnering with Unilever, the owner of Ben & Jerry’s, to explore developing an ice cream drone-delivery service in New York.
The startup, Terra Drone Corporation, said it showed off the concept during a recent Unilever’s investor event by using a drone to deliver a package of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream cups to a pre-determined location. The drone flew and landed, carrying three 72 gram-ice cream containers in a delivery box that said “Open Me.”
“With regulations around future drone flights expected to become more flexible, the consumer goods company is preparing for a drone logistics service that will deliver products to more customers faster,” Terra Drone said in the press release.
Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. So it remains unclear when the companies plan on debuting the ice cream drone-delivery service. But in recent years, Unilever has been investing in a “Ice Cream Now” program so that consumers can get Ben & Jerry’s ice cream delivered to them over apps such as Uber Eats.
The company isn’t alone in exploring drone deliveries. Both Amazon and Google’s sister company, Wing, have also been developing drones that can fly through the air to deliver packages. Currently, the drones from Wing are delivering Fedex and Walgreen packages for select residents in Virginia as part of an ongoing trial.
