Kalpesh Patel said Kumud Groceries' Cupertino location was a long time coming.

"We've been trying to expand into Cupertino for the last five years," he added. "We got lucky with this location. There's not much space available, and some landlords don't want mom-and-pop stores; they want big chain stores."

Patel, a Cupertino resident, credits city staff with helping get him into the site of a former furniture store on De Anza Boulevard.

"They wanted an Indian store here," he said.

The city wasn't alone in wanting to bring the grocery store here. As the Patels and staff were stocking the shelves and programming the cash registers last week, a woman came in to ask when the store would open.

"That may be my 50th customer who's asked," Patel said.

The Cupertino Kumud is significantly larger than the Sunnyvale store and will stock a greater variety of vegetarian merchandise, Patel said. About 40 percent of the new store is devoted to produce; Kumud will carry about 120 different fruits and vegetables.

The Patels also own and operate stores in Santa Clara, San Jose and Newark.

Kalpesh Patel said 80 percent of his stores' stock is imported from India. He and his wife buy dry goods and snack foods in bulk then package them under their own Shree Ganesh brand.

Kumud's spice aisle boasts 2- and 4-pound bags of turmeric, fennel seed, hot chili powder and other items that generally come in 2- or 3-ounce bottles at conventional grocery stores.

"These go really fast," Patel said of the spices.

Kumud also features a big selection of microwaveable Indian meals, which Patel said have a more authentic Indian flavor than some better-known brands.

"Tasty Bites are too bland," he said.

Some of Kumud's merchandise caters to non-Indian palates. The Cupertino store stocks some Persian food items, and the Santa Clara location features two aisles of Mexican groceries.

"In my San Jose store, about 40 percent of the clients are non-Indian," Patel said. "We keep recipe books for them, and employees explain what [ingredients] you need."

Patel came to the grocery business in a fairly roundabout way. He emigrated in 1989 from Gujarat, a coastal state south of Pakistan. A licensed pharmacist, he worked at Longs Drugs for 10 years before deciding to focus on his family's retail businesses. In addition to their grocery stores, the Patels own an electronics store adjacent to the Sunnyvale Kumud.

While the family has made sacrifices to keep their multiple businesses up and running, Patel said the benefits make it worthwhile.

"I can do my own schedule, be my own boss," he added. "I wanted something more adventurous."

Kumud Groceries, 10255 S. De Anza Blvd., Cupertino, and 1053 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, 408.554.8675. Hours: 9 a.m.-10 p.m. daily in Cupertino; 8:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. daily in Sunnyvale.