TWO CAFÉS, ONE BIG FAMILY

Turku is home to two very different cafés that are part of the same family. Cafe Qwensel and Café Victor aren't competitors, they're sister cafés, both the work of Nanna's Co Oy, entrepreneur Kaisa Takala, and her team.

It started with Qwensel

The story begins with Cafe Qwensel, which operates in the courtyard of Turku Pharmacy Museum, inside Finland's oldest surviving wooden building. Kaisa Takala has run the café for over 15 years, and from the start, its guiding spirit has been the 1700s, quality customer service, and handmade products.

Before Takala's business began, the Cafe Qwensel premises housed a smaller, part-time café run by volunteers. Customers still remember that era especially for the chickens that wandered the café yard in summer, and for the house's herbal tea. Starting in 2011, the café's operations gradually became established under Takala: at first it was open only in summer and around Christmas, but over the years the season stretched longer and longer, and for several years now, Cafe Qwensel has been open year-round.

Cafe Qwensel has always been close to Kaisa's heart, it's her first café, built with love over more than 15 years. That span of time holds countless stories, events, successes, lessons, and wonderful people.

Why Café Victor

Over the years, Kaisa, who trained as a hospitality management professional and vocational teacher, developed a passion for new experiences within the industry. Victor offered a chance to try something more modern and contemporary, both in terms of the café environment and the products, in contrast to Qwensel, where the focus stays deliberately and firmly on the atmosphere of the 1700s.

This combination suits Kaisa perfectly: she loves baking, product development, and designing service experiences. She has also continuously developed her skills alongside industry trends and the demands of entrepreneurship, and it's been important to her to put what she's learned into practice, in a new environment.

So Nanna's Co Oy expanded to Turku Art Museum on Puolalanmäki, where Café Victor opened its doors. Where Qwensel lives in an 18th-century atmosphere, Victor operates inside a National Romantic granite palace over 120 years old, and its identity is clearly inspired by the art museum: a unique themed product is designed for each major exhibition, a small way of bringing taste and art together.

Same quality, different atmosphere

Both cafés make their pastries, sandwiches, and pies in their own kitchens, from quality ingredients. Both also offer Afternoon Tea, good coffee, and a quality tea selection. Each café's diverse staff works, and has always worked, with real teamwork, like one big family. Every one of them has left their own mark on what the cafés are today.

The biggest differences lie in the presence of different eras and environments, the feeling and atmosphere that fills your senses the moment you step through the door. Each café's atmosphere is unique, though quite different from the other's. One further difference is that Café Victor is a refined licensed café, while Cafe Qwensel keeps things focused on the world of good coffee and treats.

Qwensel, Victor, or both?

If you loved Café Victor, with its air of art and culture, Qwensel offers a completely different, more historical atmosphere. Many guests end up visiting both, a museum café one weekend, a timeless treat after work or a quiet morning coffee on a day off the next.

Two cafés, one big family, and two entirely different ways to experience the same quality. Welcome!