Kochi: They say you should not put a price on someone else’s time. But the old wisdom has no space in GVQ, said to be Kerala’s first time cafe, at Kalamassery on the outskirts of Kochi. It’s Rs 1 per minute there. The price may sound cheap. But then the calm and welcoming atmosphere away from the city rush, a soothing greenery and the freedom to choose ensure that at GVQ you get high-quality time.
Mural artist Aathira Mohan, a native of Kalamassery, and her friend Allen K Kurien from Kottayam, are behind the brilliantly named venture – GVQ is a play on the Malayalam word ‘jeevikkoo’ which means ‘live’. Sujith T V and Soman M M support the venture as investors. The cafe with a difference was opened three months ago.
You can spend an hour at the cafe for Rs 150 per person. Beverages and cookies by GVQ can be consumed unlimited during this time. And a delicious GVQ butter crepe is a special taste the cafe has prepared for you. After that, every minute spent in the cafe is charged at Rs 1. You can order food from the cafe or even other restaurants. If you want, you can bring food from outside as well. GVQ will serve it hot.
After completing her graduation from Madras Christian College, Chennai, Aathira started a media production company in Bengaluru. However, she always wanted to open a cafe in her native place. Having her own land in Kalamassery made things easier. But she wanted her cafe to be something different. For around three years, she cafe-hopped to see things up and close and understand the business better. She even worked as a waitress at a cafe, of course, to gain some practical knowledge.
"After a lot of deliberation, we came up with the idea of a cafe based on time. We came up with the idea of GVQ as an answer to the problems we encountered in other cafes. The name GVQ was the first thing fixed. The old house situated at the land was renovated into a cafe flaunting the irresistible beauty of contemporary decor. The trees and plants on the plot were kept untouched," Aathira said. A vegetable farm has also been set up on the premises of the cafe.
GVQ’s customers include professionals, couples and people who come to read books, paint or play board games. It has also become a favourite place for personal and professional meetings.
The cafe can be booked for events like birthday celebrations. "We prefer to limit the number of participants of such events to a maximum of 10 so that other customers will not be disturbed. We also demand that decorations using plastic be completely avoided," said Allen.
The cafe remains open from 11 am to 10 pm.
