Nepalese Investors Open First Nepalese Store Kathmandu Mart in Zagreb

Coriander, cumin, ginger, ghee butter, curry spices, hot chili peppers, soy chunks, coconut milk powder, ghee butter, ready meals such as dal, which is essentially lentil soup, ready chow mein and other pasta dishes, as well as several types of rice, all types of lentils, millet, and chickpeas, along with traditional Nepalese bread. There is also Ayurvedic soap and toothpaste, traditional Nepalese pots, chickpea and chili snacks, and teas. This is the offering of the first Nepalese-Indian store in Croatia, Kathmandu Mart, which opened on Branimirova Street in Zagreb in April this year.

In the capital of Croatia, there are now so many Nepalese and Indians living and working, as well as people from Bangladesh and Pakistan, that three Nepalese investors decided to open the first Nepalese store with indigenous products from these Asian countries.

—

Bikash Meche, Katmandu Mart

—– I opened the store with two investors from Portugal, who are originally from Nepal. They are Portuguese citizens, although Nepalese, so it was easier for them with a European Union passport to open a store in Zagreb. I am one of the partners and the first operator. I also came up with the idea for this business, considering that I have been living in Croatia for three years, I know the market well, and since I also worked as an intermediary for importing labor from Nepal, I know how many workers from my country are currently in Croatia – said Bikash Meche, one of the founders of the store, with whom we spoke in English.

Another employee works in the store, and none of them currently speaks Croatian, only using a few basic words. However, this is not much of a problem, considering that the store is mostly visited by foreigners living and working in Croatia, as well as tourists. In the mere ten minutes we spent in the store, there was no shortage of customers, and everything was in demand – from mango juice, which they did not have, which saddened a British tourist of Hindu origin, to bags of several kilos of rice that foreigners working in Croatia always buy. As Meche says, the store is not only frequented by Nepalese; Indians and people from Bangladesh, as well as Pakistan, have similar eating habits, and all of them, if they live in Zagreb, gladly come to the store for groceries they consume in their homeland. However, if someone cannot come, they also organize delivery, which is greatly utilized by employers who hire a larger number of workers from these Asian countries and prepare special meals for them.

– We are very popular, but that is because we are present on TikTok and other social media, and then the word about our business spreads more easily – said Meche, adding that the store is not the only entrepreneurial venture he has embarked on with his Portuguese-Nepalese investors.

– We now also have our own hostel, Himalayan hostel in the center of Zagreb, where not only people coming to work in Croatia stay but also tourists. We also have the first Nepalese fast food Everest asian fusion fast food in the Importanne center, and to be honest, foreigners also most often come there because your compatriots find our food too spicy, although there are those who dare to try something new and original – jokes Meche.

Recently, the first Nepalese restaurant, Himalaya Curry Nepali, opened in Draškovićeva, and although it was harshly criticized by food critics, the fact is that it is also intended for foreign workers in their free time.

Meche claims that there are currently about 30,000 Nepalese in Croatia, with the largest portion of them in Zagreb. Every day, he says, about 20 Nepalese land in Croatia seeking a new life here. Some have settled well, do not want to leave, want to stay, and now they not only feel the need to cook the food they are used to but also seek entertainment and places to socialize.

– Local people are a bit distrustful of our compatriots, so they mostly stick together and socialize among themselves. There are already several groups on social media where they can connect, meet, and socialize after work, and to have the opportunity to feel like part of society, we recently organized a screening of a Nepalese film in a community center in Sesvete – said Meche, adding that he will continue to work on organizing events for Nepalese because Croatia is now their home.