From Nepal to Nova Scotia to Award-Winning Business Owner
Sujit Acharya is a very different person from the 19-year-old who arrived at Acadia from Nepal four years ago.
As he packs up his Wolfville apartment to move to Halifax, he is more confident, in possession of a business degree with a major in entrepreneurship, and owner of a thriving business. He is also a recipient of the .
Each year, Sobeys recognizes students at Atlantic universities who show outstanding leadership in business. And this year, Sujit is one of those students. Now, he is taking the $50,000 prize and investing it into expanding his business, .
Regulars at the Wolfville Farmers鈥� Market will have come to know MomoNepal for their tasty offerings of dumplings, and Sujit as the person who鈥檚 always ready to greet customers with a smile and a hot serving of the famous Nepalese street food.
Before he could get to the weekly Wolfville and Halifax farmers鈥� markets, Sujit had to overcome the challenges of acclimating to a new culture and starting a business in an unfamiliar country.
Making a home, and a business, in a new land
Sujit says when he first arrived in Wolfville to attend Acadia, he struggled to navigate Canadian society. And that led to challenges with his mental health.
鈥淎s an immigrant, we are starting everything from the beginning. Even knowing to press the button to cross the street or how to have a casual conversation. At the same time, the world expects us to be competitive with all the people who already have accomplishments here in this land.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of moving parts for a small person who鈥檚 still growing up. There鈥檚 also loneliness. It can be depressing, and there鈥檚 lots of burnout with full-time work and full-time study.鈥�
Even after a challenging first year in Nova Scotia in which he almost ended up homeless, Sujit was determined to make it here. So, in his second year he turned to community for support and before long he was back on his feet and ready to take another stab at making a home for himself in Canada. And, he thought, maybe that new home could incorporate some of where he came from.
Sujit says he realized there was a gap in the market for Nepalese cuisine here in Nova Scotia. So, he set out to fill that gap. He learned to make the popular dumplings from Nepal and started introducing them to the Wolfville community.
鈥淚nitially I thought I would be serving South Asian customers,鈥� he recalls. 鈥淏ut I was wrong, completely wrong. My customers were local people.鈥�
After a few trial runs, giving away plenty of free samples and getting feedback from customers, Sujit was ready for his first big time market. After hitchhiking to Kentville, Sujit sold out in four hours, earning $1,500.
鈥淚 was going crazy, thinking 鈥榳hat just happened?鈥欌��
"Sujit is exceptionally determined, grounded, thoughtful, and self-aware,鈥� says Dr. Ryan MacNeil (School of Business). 鈥淗e brings his whole self into class, and has used every available project, including an honours thesis, to move his business and life forward in very deliberate ways."
Soon, Sujit was ready to take his business to the Valley big leagues: the Wolfville Farmers鈥� Market. Before long, MomoNepal had a loyal following who came out every Saturday, craving the flavours of Sujit鈥檚 home country.
Community connection and mental health
As he says on the website for MomoNepal, it 鈥渨as never meant to be a solo venture. It was founded on the practice of a collaborative, team-oriented organization, where everyone learns, grows, and shares success together.鈥�
He cites the support from the Lions Club, his local church where he participated in his first test market, and the Acadia School of Business as major factors in his success.
He is particularly grateful to Dr. MacNeil. 鈥淗e helped me and mentored me for a long time. Even outside of class we used to meet. I used to use all his office hours, and he was okay with that.鈥�
鈥淭he support I found in this community is a big part of why I鈥檓 here today.鈥�
Now that he has his feet under him and business is booming, Sujit is paying it forward by doing advocacy work around immigrant entrepreneur mental health. It is both a focus of his academic work, completing his honours thesis titled 鈥淢ental Health of Student Immigrant Entrepreneurs,鈥� and something he practices out in the world.
鈥淚鈥檓 really passionate about the mental health of immigrant entrepreneurs,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat passion came from a lot of inner questioning and navigating.鈥�
鈥淲henever my time allows, I am mentoring students or people who are new to business. I just like guiding people, that鈥檚 my thing.鈥�
Seeing how it all unfolds
Just as Sujit brought some of Nepal to Wolfville, he鈥檒l leave a part of himself behind when he leaves the Valley. From the students he mentored, the staff he鈥檚 hired, to the spot MomoNepal is keeping at the Wolfville Farmers鈥� Market, the work he has done during his time at Acadia lives on here. And his time at Acadia will continue to shape his next steps.
鈥淓verything about who I am today is because of the people around me in Wolfville,鈥� he says.
In the next phase of his business, Sujit will be focusing on takeout products and frozen goods for grocery stores. With the help of the cash prize and mentorship network from the Sobeys Award, Sujit is getting ready to open his own kitchen. 鈥淚t's a big risk that I'm taking, but this support from the Sobeys Award would not have been possible without MomoNepal. So, it needs to go back into building the business.鈥�
And, he says, he 鈥渃an鈥檛 wait to see how it all unfolds.鈥�