July 26, 2023 – One more international food option for Zagreb, as the first Nepalese store opens in the Croatian capital, reports Lider.hr.
Coriander, cumin, ginger, ghee butter, curry spices, hot chili peppers, soy chunks, coconut milk powder, ghee butter, ready meals such as dal which is basically a lentil soup, ready chow mein and other dishes from pasta, and several types of rice, all types of lentils, millet and chickpeas, as well as traditional Nepali bread. There is also Ayurvedic soap and toothpaste, traditional Nepalese hotpots, chickpea and chili snacks and teas. This is the offer of the first Nepali-Indian store in Croatia, Kathmandu Mart, which opened in Branimirova street in Zagreb in April this year.
“I opened the store with two investors from Portugal, who are originally from Nepal. They are citizens of Portugal, although Nepali, so it was easier for them to open a store in Zagreb with a European Union passport. I am one of the partners and the first operative. I am also gave me the idea for this job, considering that I have been living in Croatia for three years, I know the market well, and as I also worked as an intermediary for the import of labor from Nepal, I know very well how many workers from my country are currently in Croatia” , Bikash Meche, one of the founders of the store, told Lider.
He certainly has a captive market. In addition to locals and expats looking for more exotic foods in the Croatian capital, the sizable influx of workers from Nepal and India – a trend which looks set to continue with young Croats moving to places such as Germany, Ireland and Sweden – should provide a solid customer base.
The Nepalese in particular are finding employment opportunities, as more guest workers come from Asia and elsewhere to fill the vacancies Croats are no longer applying for. As we have explored previously on TCN, the demographics of the country are slowly changing with these employment trends. Back in 2018, there were less than 30,000 foreigners in Croatia with temporary or permanent residency, according to official figures from the Ministry of the Interior. That number has significantly increased, and by the end of 2022, the official number was 172,199. And these do not include those with shorter working permits.
Third on the list of residency after Bosnia and Hercegovina and Serbia was Nepal, with some 8,370 Nepalese with temporary or permanent residency as of December 31, 2022. Indians were not far behind in 7th with 5,951 nationals with residency by the end of last year.
For a more detailed breakdown of the changing demographics in Croatia, check out our video below. To learn more about the new Nepalese store, visit the official Kathmandu Mart Facebook page.
