Revved up and ready for delivery

Drone navigator and businessman Tony Reid contacted Dakota Rudolph, co-owner with his wife Tiffany Aguas-Rudolph of Valkyrie Coffee Roasters in downtown Chester, to develop a drone delivery system for dropping coffee at individual doorsteps in Orange County.

Valkyrie Coffee Roasters opened at 23 Main Street, a short distance from the Erie Station in February.

A drone delivery service throughout Orange County

Rudolph and Reid began with a giveaway that brought in hundreds of participants by offering a free bag of of fresh roasted coffee to be delivered directly to each participant’s home via drone.

Twenty winners received a drone delivery.

“The drone flew as far as five miles to the homes of the winners,” Rudolph said, “dropping the package via a clip wire right to their front doorstep.

The barista said the delivery box is attached to the drone via a six-foot cable and a clip attaches to the handle of the delivery box.

“The goal is to use the flight patterns from this project to develop and enable drone delivery to Orange County and beyond.” Rudolph said. “Valkyrie Coffee Roasters delivers coffee all over the nation as well as serving customers in-house. Everything, including pastries, is made from scratch using top quality ingredients.

“Delivery via drone is emissions-free and all-electric,” he added, “having the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions from vehicles while also creating a new job sector and industry.”

‘The next technological innovation’

Reid, the founder and CEO of the Middletown-based Drone Tech UAS, said his operation is “a Black-owned, military veteran-run business offering programs to teach drone tech in underprivileged schools and correctional facilities to create new jobs in an industry that’s just exploring and discovering many uses and options.”

According to the company’s web site, “Intelligent Drone System Commercial drones represent the next technological innovation, robotic platforms. The applications are limitless: security, surveying, mapping, and data collection to name a few. However, until recently, most commercial drones required one or several expert operators.

“Intelligent Drone Systems also provides autonomous aerial robotic drones.” the information continues, “which improve system efficiency and reduce human labor costs with both software and hardware created by Nightingale Security.”