Our story begins with a sixteen year old boy in the middle of a global lockdown. Between cancelled exams, unfinished canvases, and long afternoons spent in his bedroom, Pete Kasidit felt a pull to build something of his own. A student of art, he dreamed of a small store where people like him could meet, browse beautiful tools from around the world, and spark new ideas together. So he started building exactly that.

During the construction of the shop, there was an empty corner he could not stop staring at. A blank space waiting for a purpose. The idea arrived on New Year’s Eve. What if that corner became a tiny coffee bar where ordering felt simple. Pete was just starting to enjoy specialty coffee, but the menus across Bangkok felt like another language. Roast levels, processing methods, and coffee regions were listed line after line, yet none of it meant anything to someone new. You could not tell which cup would taste bright or which would be cozy and round. You could only guess.

So he imagined a new way. A gradient inspired by sunrise and sunset. Two coffees, each tied to a feeling. One bright and fruity like the cups he loved. One slightly darker and gentler like the ones his mother and sister preferred. That became Dawn and Dusk, the first two coffees of VE/LA. The name itself came minutes before the fireworks. “Vela,” the Thai word for time, felt right. The slash between VE and LA became a quiet nod to the hands of a clock.

The coffee bar opened in March 2021. Within the second weekend there was a line that stretched out the door for hours. What began as a corner in an art store quickly grew into something many people carried into their own routines. Almost a year and a half later, Pete signed the first leases in three Bangkok malls. New stores followed. New ideas took shape. Cafes, Studios, and a growing collection of VE/LA at Home products for coffee, matcha, and tea.

Looking back, the story feels simple. One boy, one idea, one corner that changed everything. But the heart of it remains the same. Time spent well. Care given freely. Craft shared with anyone who walks in.

What started as a side project filled with nothing but passion became something bigger. A story about a city we hold close to our hearts. A story about mornings and small smiles. About a sentence on a package, or the way someone hands you a drink and actually means enjoy.

VE/LA might just be a café, but to us, is an assemblage of purpose, care, and craft. Something our hometown can be proud to call its own. And something we hope to be proud to share with the world.

Welcome to VE/LA.

VE/LA takes its time settling into every place we expand into. Whether it is a busy street in Bangkok or a storied corner of Mayfair, London, each café is shaped with thoughtful collaboration.

Together with our design and architecture partners, we craft spaces that feel at home in their surroundings. We shape cafés that are unique to each individual location yet somehow unmistakably VE/LA.

Life often moves with a pace that leaves little room to breathe. VE/LA was created to soften that pace. We craft spaces and moments that invite you to slow down, even briefly, so the world feels a little steadier and the everyday becomes more meaningful.

Wherever you meet us, in Bangkok or in cities to come, our hope is simple. We want VE/LA to settle naturally into the rhythm of your day.