It’s Durian Season in Malaysia – New Business Durian Lah Will Fly It Fresh to Melbourne for You

Durian is a divisive fruit – simultaneously adored and abhorred. It’s crowned the king of fruits, yet banned in hotels and airports across Southeast Asia. In Melbourne, it once triggered an evacuation because its scent was mistaken for a gas leak.

Durian is a US$18.5 billion-dollar global industry, with China reportedly accounting for around 95 per cent of global demand. Australia is not new to durian. Import value grew from US$115,000 (A$140,000) in 2015 to US$1.8 million (around A$2.5 million) in 2020, making us one of the fastest-growing durian-importing countries in the world. We even grow our own in Darwin and North Queensland. 

But the fruit is deeply tied to memory, and people fiercely defend the distinct terroir, texture, and profile of the variety they grew up eating. A Malaysian purist will insist on the sweet custardy chocolate notes of a Musang king; a Thai local will champion the firm mouthfeel of a monthong; and a Vietnamese connoisseur will swear by the creamy Ri6.

"There’s a certain charm and romanticism to it. Everyone has their nationalistic pride,” says Thanh Truong (aka Fruit Nerd), a second-generation fruiterer and media personality whose family business sources foreign fruits and vegetables for major retailers.

No one knows that better than Gordon Chong and Jerry Fong, founders of new company Durian Lah. Their company airfreights durian directly from Malaysian dusuns (farms) to Australia, ready to pick up within 48 hours from locations across Melbourne, from Oakleigh South to Bellfield and the Queen Victoria Market.

A 400-gram pack costs between $55 and $70. “When durian is frozen, the water splits from the fibre, and the dense, custard-like consistency is gone,” says Chong. “The quality is not the same. We just want the real thing. Like our childhoods in Sabah and Ipoh.” 

The concept isn’t new: @bittersweetlovemelb and CC Wok in North Melbourne run similar operations, issuing a Google form for orders when Malaysian durian season is nigh, typically between June and September. But Fong is direct about Durian Lah’s point of difference: “We get the highest grade of each varietal due to our connections.” 

For the Fruit Nerd, the focus on origin is beside the point. “For me, it doesn’t matter where the fruit comes from, or the price point, as long as it provides a good experience. Eating durian is a communal activity and that should be our focus,” says Truong. 

Still, it’s hard to believe how far we have come. In the 2010s, durian was difficult to access in Melbourne. You could find it in gelato form at Il Dolce Freddo on Lygon Street, then we started to see it in tarts, custards and puddings. Seeing it vacuum-sealed in Asian groceries like Tang Food Emporium was a revelation, and now it’s airfreighted fresh from the farm.