Drones Are Flying Food From Café del Mar Bali to Nuanu: Here’s What the Trial Is Testing
Food delivery in Bali is about to get a view from above. A three-month trial of drone food delivery in Bali is now underway, flying orders from Café del Mar Bali in North Kuta to Nuanu Creative City in Beraban, Tabanan, and it’s one of the first real tests of this technology on the island.
The short version: SKYY Network, Grab Indonesia, Nuanu Creative City and Café del Mar Bali are running the pilot to see how drone delivery works in practice here. Customers order through the Grab app, the food is prepared at Café del Mar, drones fly the main leg, and Grab driver-partners handle the final delivery to the door.
Who’s Involved and How It Works
According to Bali Discovery, citing NusaBali, five parties are involved: SKYY Network is the drone operator, led by CEO Rory Houston; Nuanu Creative City is the test destination, with CEO Lev Kroll; Café del Mar Bali prepares and dispatches the food; Grab Indonesia provides the ordering platform and delivery drivers; and A2Z Drone Delivery supplies the drone hardware.
Remote pilots fly the drones on specific route segments with geographic challenges, while SKYY’s SkyyOS system monitors flights and drone positions in real time for beyond-visual-line-of-sight missions. The route runs in controlled airspace next to the busy operations of Ngurah Rai International Airport, which makes it a demanding place to test.
What the Trial Is Meant to Learn
The pilot is designed to assess technology, infrastructure, regulations and operational patterns over its three months. The organizers have been careful not to oversell it. Rory Houston of SKYY Network said, “We are using this pilot project to understand how drone delivery can be executed responsibly and safely in Bali.” Nuanu’s Lev Kroll added, “We aren’t trying to prove that drones are the future of everything.” And Prisca Yosevine, Operational Head for Bali-Nusa Tenggara at Grab Indonesia, said, “This technology is not here to replace our driver-partners.”
A First for Indonesia
Indonesian outlet Kabar Nusa, reporting on October 9, described the project as the first food-delivery drone pilot in Indonesia, and said it began with a traditional Balinese blessing ceremony. SKYY Network’s Rory Houston said Bali presents different challenges from the ones the company has handled across its network in Europe. Café del Mar Bali’s Head of Marketing, Rio Fransisco, said the aim is to make sure air delivery can be integrated smoothly without disrupting guests, and Nuanu’s Lev Kroll said the real value lies in creating an environment where technology can be tested.
Permits and Coordination
The article doesn’t name specific permit numbers or licenses. It says operations follow applicable aviation regulations and involve coordination with the Ministry of Transportation, the Bali Provincial Government, and the local traditional villages along the route. That last part is notable in a place where village councils carry real weight.
What We Don’t Know Yet
A few things aren’t stated in the reports we read: the distance of the route, how many orders will be flown, and whether the service is open to every Grab user or only to a limited group of customers. If you’re curious about trying it, the practical answer is that you’d need to check the Grab app, because we can’t confirm availability. The reports also don’t give the drone model’s payload, speed or range, or how often flights run, so it’s too early to judge how practical the service could become.
Quick Answers About Drone Delivery in Bali
How long does the trial last? Three months.
Where do the drones fly? From Café del Mar Bali in North Kuta to Nuanu Creative City in Beraban, Tabanan.
Will drones replace delivery drivers? Grab says no: drivers handle the final leg to the customer.
Can I fly my own drone in Bali? That’s a separate question with its own rules, which we covered in our guide.
The Chimera Villas Take
It’s easy to dismiss pilots like this as gimmicks, and the organizers themselves are modest about it. But the sensible questions they’re asking about safety, airspace and village consent are exactly the right ones for a crowded island. If you’re curious about the visitor side of the sky, our guide to Bali’s 2026 drone rules covers what travelers can and can’t do with their own drones.
