Grocery stores offer a taste of India in Taiwan

Grocery stores offer a taste of India in Taiwan

2024-07-16

Today we take you to meet Rakesh Madanlal Bohra. He first came to Taiwan in 1990 to start a computer company with his brother. Later, he and his brother opened an Indian grocery store in 1994, selling all kinds of delicacies and products from back home. FTV reporter Stephany Yang spoke to Bohra to learn more about his career.

Indian spices, masalas, snacks, and more Indian products are on display. Rakesh Madanlal Bohra and his brother moved to Taiwan in 1990 to start a computer company. While working at the computer company, he discovered a growing demand from his Indian clients for Indian and vegetarian food.

Rakesh Madanlal Bohra
CEO
We found difficult that clients used to ask for vegetarian food because most of the Indian clientele is vegetarian. To support them we started having one of the rooms actually in our computer business for Indian food products. This is how our journey started for Indian food products. Over the years, we found that more and more Indian people stated coming to our store and asking for more and more products. We started with a journey of probably a few products. Maybe 10 products. Today, we have almost 700 products in our range to support totally all Indians.

To serve the growing population of Indians visiting and residing in Taiwan, Bohra opened an Indian grocery store in 1994. This July, he opened his fourth store. Bohra says that over the years, he has witnessed a boom of Indian restaurants opening up in Taiwan.

Rakesh Madanlal Bohra
CEO
We came here probably in the early 90s, there was only one Indian restaurant in Taiwan. Just because we started bring in the masalas, the spices and the masalas which is basically a combination of vairous spices. We found that many restaurants thought that using the masala they can start their restaurant business. Today, we have more than 100 Indian restaurants in Taiwan. It is just because of the reason that we started bringing masalas. It helped them to start their business. Since there is collaboration between India and Taiwan, they are thinking of bringing in a lot of Indians. Whether it is skilled labor or unskilled labor. We are thinking it is our responsibility to start more and more stores and support them.

Today, the stores are also very popular among Taiwanese customers. Despite the success of this business, Bohra says there have been plenty of challenges.

Rakesh Madanlal Bohra
CEO
Every time Taiwan FDA. Whenever we import food products, many of our food gets rejected. We are discussing with the Indian counterparts telling them that let’s get those products that comply with Taiwan FDA regulations. This is one of the areas where we lose a lot of money actually. This is the biggest challenge but we are trying our best to get the best of the products which are in compliance with the Taiwan FDA as well as can help Indian people over here.

Despite challenges, Bohra says he hopes to open up one store every year to serve Taiwanese and the growing population of India expats, to give them a taste of home.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

看準在台印度人數增加業者開印度商品雜貨店搶商機

2024-07-16

今天我們帶您認識 Rakesh Madanlal Bohra。1990年，他與兄弟來到台灣，隔年一同創立了一間電腦公司，在發現印度客戶對印度食品的需求後，他們在1994年開了一家印度雜貨店，販售家鄉的各種美食和產品。

印度香料、馬薩拉、零食等印度特產琳瑯滿目。1990年，Rakesh Madanlal Bohra 與兄弟一同移居台灣，隨後創立了一間電腦公司，意外發現印度客戶對印度和素食食品的需求不斷增加。

[[業者 Rakesh Madanlal Bohra ]]
"我們發現買足客戶的素食需求很困難，因為大多數的印度客戶都是素食主義者。為了幫助他們，我們開始在我們的電腦公司的一間房間裡，銷售印度食品。這就是我們的開始進口印度食品的緣由。多年來，我們發現越來越多的印度人，來到我們的商店，詢問越來越多不同的產品。我們大概只有10個產品開始，
到現在擁有近700種產品，可以提供給印度人"

在台印度人與日俱增，為了滿足他們，Bohra在1994 年開設了一家印度雜貨店，到今年7月，已經拓展到4家分店。他說，這麼多年來，他感受到印度餐廳在台灣愈開愈多。

[[業者 Rakesh Madanlal Bohra ]]
"我們大概是在90年代初來到這裡的，當時台灣只有一家印度餐廳。我們開始引進馬薩拉、香料和馬薩拉，馬薩拉基本上是各種香料的組合。我們發現許多人認為有了馬薩拉就可以開餐廳。如今，台灣擁有超過100家印度餐廳，僅僅只是因為我們開始引進馬薩拉，幫助他們創業。由於印度和台灣之間有合作，正在考慮引進印度移工，我們認為我們有責任開更多分店來幫助他們"

如今，這些商店也受到台灣人的青睞。Rakesh Madanlal Bohra表示，雖然生意成功，但仍面臨許多挑戰。

[[業者 Rakesh Madanlal Bohra ]]
"我們進口食品時，許多食品都會被台灣的食藥署拒絕，我們正在跟印度同行商量，告訴他們要買符合台灣規定的產品，這讓我們飽受損失。雖然挑戰很大，但我們盡力提供最好的產品，既符合台灣食藥署的要求，也能幫助這裡的印度人"

儘管面臨挑戰，Rakesh Madanlal Bohra說，他希望每年開一家店，為台灣人和不斷增加的在台印度人提供服務，讓他們嚐到家鄉的味道。

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民視台灣台（152頻道）週日至週五晚上9:30
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