WEST SPRINGFIELD – When Hash Gogri moved from India to Southwick in 1993, he had to travel more than 40 miles to New York to find cooking ingredients from his homeland.

Living with his wife and two sons, Gogri, 54, wanted to have easier access to the ingredients his family was used to. In 2011, he decided to stray away from his chemistry and pharmacy degree and open his own Asian cuisine store with his brother Khush – now known as the Spices of Asia in downtown West Springfield.

“We missed certain thing, like cilantro, in our cooking on a day-to-day basis,” said Gogri. “We used to travel far away to get cilantro and a certain kind of rice, so, I said, ‘We are spending so much time traveling and sending our business elsewhere, why not take advantage here locally?’”

The Gogri brothers are both natives of the Western Indian state Gujarat, and grew up in a joint, low-middle class Hindu family. Hash said he owned a similar grocery store back in his hometown before moving to the U.S.

Although they had some experience in running an Indian grocery store, it did little to prepare them for this new endeavor, said Gogri.

“It was not easy, in terms of finances, in terms of locations and space – you name it,” he said. “We had all kinds of hurdles, but we are tough and we want to come through with whatever we put our mind to.”

Before Spices of Asia became Spices of Asia, it was an abandoned garage that was contaminated with environmental waste. Gogri and his brother had to tear everything down. The pair were finally able to bring it up to compliance, converting the garage into a colorfully stocked Asian-food grocery store.

Now, hundreds of loyal customers from across the state flood the aisles of Spices of Asia to get their daily fix of authentic Indian produce, canned goods and supplements. Gogri said some of his customers travel up to 50 miles to get their ingredients from his store, many of which are Pakistani, Sri Linkan, Jamaican, Indian and American.

“It’s nice and convenient, we come and get whatever we need quickly and the vegetables are always fresh,” said 21-year-old Emil Patel of Agawam.

Gogri makes sure the store is always stocked with some of India’s most traditional staples: turmeric, cumin seed and Basmati and Patna rice. He said turmeric is by far the store’s most popular product, requiring almost daily deliveries of the bright yellow powder. They offer it in root-form, powder and capsules.

Rows of supplements and herbal medicines for hair, skin and nails, among other things, sit at the front of the store near the cash register.

Spices of Asia is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, said Gogri, even on the holidays.

Vince George, of Northampton, said he’s been shopping at the store since 2016. He buys cooking ingredients to stock the shelves of his own Indian-food restaurant, Bombay Royale.

“The reason I come here often – mostly two times a week – is for fresh vegetables. They always make sure things are available and on time,” he said. “I have a really good relationship with Hash. If I’m not able to make it to the store, they keep things ready for me and my employees can pick it up.”

Gogri told Reminder Publications that a majority of his customers have access to his cell phone number, and don’t hesitate to call if they need an item that is out of stock. The business owner said he and his brother do their best to get everything imported directly from their high-quality sellers in New York or Florida.

The store usually replenishes their supply at the beginning of the week, after their rush days on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

“There’s no greater satisfaction than seeing my customers’ faces when they find something that they were looking for and were in urgent need of,” said Gogri.

Aside from the two brothers, Spices of Asia employs three other workers. Gogri said the business strives to hire employees who are knowledgeable in not only the Asian cuisine, but in a variety of Asian languages as well.

Gogri and Khash chose to open their store in West Springfield because it is a central location, the older brother explained. According to Data USA, almost five percent of the population in West Side is Asian.

“I consider America as the land of opportunity,” said Gogri. “I came with very limited resources, but very high ambitions. I am living the American dream.”

Spices of Asia may soon be opening a grab-and-go type restaurant in the near future.