Freshly cut persimmons adorn the doorway of the newly opened India Express in Washington Lane in Hamilton.

In southern India, where owner Sivakumar Senthamaraikannan is from, the fruit is a symbol of luck and transformation.

“We put them out when someone opens a new establishment,” Mr Senthamaraikannan explained.

Inside the shop, there are more Indian touches such as a statue of the Hindu goddess Ganesha, and artwork by Mr Senthamaraikannan’s 12-year-old daughter, Samiya Nevaeh.

So far, their luck is holding.

“Thirty to 40 people showed up when we opened on Monday, despite the pouring rain,” Mr Senthamaraikannan said. “We were pretty happy with that.”

They stock a variety of Indian products from rice, hair oil and creams, to herbal teas and remedies, to spices, red chillies, sweets and snacks.

“We think there will be a lot of demand, because there is a large Indian community in Bermuda,” Mr Senthamaraikannan said. “There are a lot of Indian things that you just cannot find anywhere in Bermuda.”

Three years ago, people started asking him to bring in Indian spices when he and his Bermudian wife, Natalie, took over the Matchbox, a mini convenience store in the Washington Mall in Hamilton.

He started using the Matchbox to product test different items.

“I expect that most things we are stocking will sell well,” he said. “I have had a lot of people asking when we are going to open.”

At India Express, they also sell pastries and Danishes, coffee and tea, and plan to soon start selling Indian meals. The food will be cooked off-site in a commercial kitchen.

“It was hard to find a space to work out of,” he said. “We had all our friends and family looking. Now we have found somewhere. We are just waiting for our permits to come through to start that side of things.”

His brother, Sasikumar Senthamaraikannann, will handle the kitchen.

They are vowing to keep the food as authentic as possible.

“I am not going to cater to a different palate,” Mr Senthamaraikannan said. “I want to stick to the traditional way.”

He said that in Bermuda Indian food tended to have a lot of honey added to it to make it sweeter.

“There are traditionally five Indian sauces and sweetness comes from sautéing onions and tomato,” he said.

He went to culinary school in India to get his cooking qualifications before working in Dubai. He was then employed by an American cruise line. Travelling between Bermuda and Boston, he loved getting off here to wander around on Harbour Nights.

“Then suddenly an employment agency asked if I was looking for a job,” he said. “At that time I did not know anyone at all in Bermuda.”

Over the years he worked for a number of hotels and restaurants in Bermuda such as the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club and Newstead. A few years ago, he decided he wanted to go out on his own.

He started working to open India Express last November.

“I had already been running Matchbox, so I understood the process,” he said. “The most difficult thing about setting this up has been getting the necessary licences and permits.

“We also have to deal with shipping things from New Jersey and Florida. Some things come directly from India. We have a dealer who sends it to the US and it is sent from there.”