BOLD VENTURE. Provincial police chief Senior Supt. Noel Gillamac, discusses with PO1 Marjorie Bero and PO1 Devie Silva ways to further improve the operations of Noy Honesto Coffee Shop inside the Cebu Provincial Police Office headquarters in barangay Sudlon, Cebu City. (CDN PHOTO/ APPLE MAE TAAS)
There’s no one to see what you’re having for snacks when you go dine at the coffee shop located at the ground floor of the Cebu Provincial Police Office.
Biscuits, bread, pastries, instant cup noodles, candies; a water dispenser beside a stack of disposable cups and a wide array of 3-in-1 coffee or chocolate beverages are prepared for customers at the Noy Honesto coffee shop in sitio Sudlon, barangay Lahug, Cebu City.
No one’s manning the store. Customers go in, choose what they want from the goodies, and put the exact amount as payment inside a box.
True to its name and the idea that went with the business model, no discrepancy or shortfall in inventory and sales have so far been noted in the coffee shop since it started operating last week.
Noy Honesto Coffee Shop was named after the recently concluded teleserye ‘Honesto.’
Senior Supt Noel Gillamac, director of the CPPO, said the store aims to help inculcate the value of honesty among police officers as they will have to pay the right amount even if no one is watching.
The shop’s logo shows an image of a man with an elongated nose having coffee. The imagery was inspired from the Disney character Pinocchio whose nose grows longer every time he tells a lie.
Gillamac said the image reminds people not to tell a lie.
SPO1 Wilson Salinas of the CPPO administration department, said with the coffee shop around, they won’t anymore need to brave the sun’s scorching heat or sometimes, rain to have a bite.
“It’s a big help on our part since we don’t have to go outside to get food. Or if we forget to take breakfast, this is our refuge,” he said in Cebuano.
Noy Honesto’s business manager Devie Silva, 28 said putting up the business was a risk she had to take together with PO1 Marjorie Bero, secretary of the chairman of the police cooperative.
“In our inventory, we found no discrepancy on the budget,” Silva said who reports directly to Gillamac.
They stock the store in the morning and do an inventory and cash count at the end of the day. So far, Noy Honesto, has been gaining profit, Silva said.
The store’s pan de sal, hopia and ensaymada are delivered early in the morning from CPDRC. The store also offers instant noodles, siomai, beverages like coffee and chocolates and some biscuits. A list of prices is taped on the wall where patrons would put their payments inside a transparent jar.
Gillamac said the plan to roll out the concept coffee shop was supposed to be done last year. But they had to do some tedious planning until they opened last week.
Aside from filling the stomachs of police officers and visitors of the CPPO, Noy Honesto serves other objectives, namely: to nurture the value of honesty, to teach police officers basic entrepreneurship skills, and help in supporting the CPDRC inmates.
“We discovered the bread made inside the CPDRC when we went there to watch as they record their performance for Pope Francis. They served us the pandesal and we thought it was great and then learned that it was made by inmates in the jail facility’s bakery,” Gillamac recalled.
He said Marco Toral, consultant on jail matters told him that two of their inmates are bakers from the Tinong’s and Julie’s bakeshop. Gillamac said buying bread for Noy Honesto would be one way of supporting the inmate’s livelihood endeavor.
As a cooperative venture, Noy Honesto is a hands-on laboratory for police officers who want to develop entrepreneurial skills. Silva said some police officers have offered to sell some homemade goodies in the store.
Being a cooperative run store, Silva said the proceeds will go to their group of around 80 members. Gillamac said he will have the ground floor converted into a cozy place for guests.
Noy Honesto is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
A flat screen television and free Wi-Fi connection will soon be installed as an added amenity for customers.
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