UTICA, N.Y. -- A grocery store in Utica is celebrating another year in business.
Muju International Groceries, located at 1026 Champlin Ave., is owned by Ujjwal and Grace Rai, who are originally from Nepal.
Their idea for an international grocery store started as a grocery delivery app service, "with the goal to deliver groceries to immigrant families," their website said.
The brick-and-mortar store morphed out of that idea.
The store has three distinct features. There is a boba tea cafe, a kitchen and the grocery store.
The idea behind the store was to make sure that "our community has easy access to groceries from different countries under the same roof," the Muju website states.
The store on Champlin Avenue offers items to prepare international meals and a wide variety of snacks from around the world.
The second aspect of the business is the kitchen, where Nepali dishes are served hot. There are items like steamed momos,Nepali chowmein and tikka masala.
Rai has also been working on a more high-tech branch of the business, developing a couple of apps and websites.
The Muju app was originally for the physical store. Now, it is being reworked to "turn it into a marketplace where people could become vendors and sell their products," according to the store's active Facebook page.
Ujjwal Rai also was involved with the Chula app, which is describedas "a digital platform that seeks to bring local farmers, cooks, and consumers together to create a sustainable local food system to help the community reclaim food sovereignty, boost local economies, and reduce carbon footprint."
Recently, Rai launched Hut Number 22, which is a website intended to connect grandmothers to the community.
"In essence, Hut Number 22 is a marketplace for grandmothers and young generations to connect and sell spices is not just about transactions; it's about creating a space where cultural heritage is celebrated, economic opportunities are provided, and a community of passionate individuals forms around the shared love for authentic, homemade culinary treasures," the Muju Facebook page stated.
The start of November marked the entrepreneur'ssecond year in business at Muju International Groceries.
Community and a connection to the refugee and immigrantpopulation is important to Rai.
One way they are creating connections is by having in-house talks and storytelling by local residents.
In the past, the grocery store has invited business owners to talk about their experiences being an entrepreneurin the MohawkValley.
For an upcoming event on Dec. 2, they "are creating a space at our store where you can share your idea and find a community," their Facebook page stated.
"My wife and I believe everyone can win at the end of the day," he explained. "Here, we can win together. That's our belief."
"We know how it feels to be unheard," Rai explained of the storyteller series. "We're trying to build a community in a sustainable way and use our facility to win."
Rai emphasized that "the future generations desire community more than ever."
Maintaining a welcoming atmosphere is a top priority for Rai. He instructs his employees to ensure that every customer feels welcome and comfortable asking questions.
Rai said not to have the idea of "I don't know, so I won't go."
"If I walk into the typical, traditional American restaurantI don't know anything about, I will feel stupid. Nobody should feel stupid. Just because they don't know, doesn't mean they're stupid." Rai explained.
"We are very intentional about that. When people walk in, we try to talk to them. All the people who are here have been trained that way. Do not let anyone feel uncomfortable just because they don't know...Try to talk to them. Build a relationship and make them feel as comfortableas possible," he said.
The name Muju is a version of the word for aunt in the Nepali language, māijū.
"The word is hard to pronounce, so we modified it a little bit," Rai said.
"It's in remembrance of how to make people feel like they're at home," he said of using the word as his store's name.
Rai arrived in the U.S. as an asylum-seeker in 2014. He was in a different state before coming to New York. He met his wife Grace, who was well established in Utica, got married and moved to Utica.
"I love it here. It's home. I see a lot of potential," Rai said.
"Our acceptance in this community has transformed us in a good way. So, the legacy we want to leave behind is we want to contribute and make the community better than when we arrived. That is the fundamental belief to start this business and projects," he said.
Rai said that if you've never visited the store, "please don't feel discouraged."
Muju International Groceries is open seven days a week.
For more information on the grocery store, cafe and kitchen, click here.
