Gold leaf and same-day delivery: Young durian sellers try to make their mark in thorny industry
By NATASHA MEAH
Nuria Ling / TODAY
L to R: The Durian Gang founders Ms Fion Wang, Ms Emily Tan, Ms Vivian Khor and Ms Gina Chee.
Published30 AUGUST, 2020UPDATED 30 AUGUST, 2020
275 Shares
SINGAPORE — Back when they were in Secondary Four, schoolmates Emily Tan, Gina Chee, Fion Wang and Vivian Khor called themselves the "durian gang", after realising their shared love for the fruit.
They gathered once every fortnight for durian parties and soon, an unbreakable durian-fuelled bond was formed. Over the years, the frequency of their meet-ups increased to twice a week during peak seasons — between June and September and from December to February. They also “upgraded” from supermarket-bought durians and to searching all corners of Singapore for better quality fare.
Fifteen years on, they are now running their own durian shop, aptly named The Durian Gang.
They are just one group among a wave of young people who are joining the durian trade out of a passion for the King of Fruits. But like many others, The Durian Gang is also finding out that it is a thorny industry, as they face challenges brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic and increasing competition.
Ms Tan, 30, left her job as an insurance agent to run The Durian Gang full time. The other women still hold their full-time jobs and take turns helping out at the shop, which opened in December.
The challenges began right from the start, as they were young women entering a male-dominated industry.
“When we were initially starting up our shop, many of the contractors disregarded us and would only seek out other males in the shop, despite them not being the bosses. They also thought they could cut corners because they were dealing with ‘little girls’.
“Our customers thought we were part-timer cashiers and did not take us seriously,” said Ms Tan.
While they have since been able to gain the trust and respect of their customers, business has been badly affected by the pandemic, she said.
“We didn’t have enough time to build on our reputation and customer base yet, before Covid-19 hit. We tried to do a lot of social media postings during the circuit breaker to get our name out there, but in this competitive durian industry, word of mouth is still the strongest,” said Ms Tan.
“We burned through S$100,000 within the first three months of opening. We barely broke even but our sales of frozen durian puree to bakeries during the off season helped to boost our business a little,” she added.
‘RISK-FREE BUSINESS’
Ms Tok Xue Min (left) and Ms Priscilla Lim, the co-founders of Durian Queens. Photo: Nuria Ling/TODAY
With a target customer base of those between the ages of 18 and 35, the Durian Queens only offer their goods via pre-order and delivery, a strategy which has proven to be “profitable from day one” and “risk-free”, they said, though they declined to reveal their margins.
This is because they can run the business without the hassle and costs of running a physical store, said Ms Priscilla Lim, 26, one of three partners behind Durian Queens.
From Friday to Wednesday, customers are able to place their orders, and every Thursday, the durians are brought in from Malaysia before being collected by the trio, sorted and delivered the same night.
The idea to start the business began as Ms Lim’s father had been travelling to Johor Baru for the past seven years to frequent his favourite durian shop, whose owner had always tried to convince him to bring his durians into Singapore.
Sometime in June, Ms Lim and her two friends realised that there was a demand for durian delivery services among their peers, and so they decided to take up the durian supplier’s offer and launched their business just two weeks later.
“Though our supplier can bring durians in everyday, we decided to do it on a pre-order basis because we weren’t sure how many customers we would have and we didn’t want to have overheads and wasted durians that were not going to be sold,” said Ms Lim.
“This model works for us now while we try to navigate and learn more about the different types of durians and the industry. We will continue to sell nitrogen frozen durians on a pre-order basis during the off peak season too,” she added.
24K GOLD DURIANS
Mr Charles Phua of Dr Durian, tries to get innovative with his products to draw new customers. Photo: Nuria Ling/TODAY
During off-peak seasons, Mr Charles Phua, 32, the owner of Dr Durian, is focused on selling frozen durians, durian-flavoured popcorn and durian-flavoured cotton candy, amongst other treats.
But even during durian season, he tries to innovate. His best-selling product since starting his business three years ago is durian topped with 24k gold flakes.
He has also been experimenting with durians paired with hazelnut and chocolate sauces and sea salt flakes. In the past, Mr Phua has also sold what he called “durian creme brûlée”, which is slightly charred durian.
Mr Phua, who just gave up his physical store, is now focusing on a delivery model to cut costs.
“I wouldn’t say my business has been extremely successful but I’m really trying to create my own market. I’m trying to set myself apart. Though I’m selling the same thing, I’m trying to be different.
“My parents are still asking me to find a ‘proper job’, one with CPF (Central Provident Fund). My parents are very traditional, they just want me to have a stable life,” he said.
SUSTAINABLE, NOT PROFITABLE
Mr Wong Chu Yi, the owner of Durian Kaki, says profits have declined sharply since he started out in 2016. Photo: Nuria Ling/TODAY
Mr Wong Chu Yi, 33, the owner of Durian Kaki in Yishun St 22, has been in the business for about four years but says the trade is not as lucrative as it once was.
The former accountant decided at the start of 2016 that he did not want to be deskbound anymore. A few months into unemployment, Mr Wong went to his uncle’s durian shop of 40 years to buy some fruit when he was asked by his uncle to help out.
What started out as a job packing durians blossomed into an interest in the trade and a realisation that the business was a profitable one.
“For the past two years, there have been a lot of new vendors and most of them came in with the idea that it's a very lucrative business. When I first came in, it was very lucrative but after the China market started to have a demand for durians, the cost price from the supplier went up a lot,” said Mr Wong.
His profit last year was 77.5 per cent lower than in 2016, he noted.
“For me I've built this for almost five years and it's not profitable, but sustainable. We’re doing okay at the moment because of the profits we made in the past that can save us in these rainy days,” he said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY NURIA LING
Topics
durian
Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/gold-leaf-and-same-day-delivery-young-durian-sellers-try-make-their-mark-thorny-industry
By NATASHA MEAH
Nuria Ling / TODAY
L to R: The Durian Gang founders Ms Fion Wang, Ms Emily Tan, Ms Vivian Khor and Ms Gina Chee.Published30 AUGUST, 2020UPDATED 30 AUGUST, 2020
275 Shares
SINGAPORE — Back when they were in Secondary Four, schoolmates Emily Tan, Gina Chee, Fion Wang and Vivian Khor called themselves the "durian gang", after realising their shared love for the fruit.
They gathered once every fortnight for durian parties and soon, an unbreakable durian-fuelled bond was formed. Over the years, the frequency of their meet-ups increased to twice a week during peak seasons — between June and September and from December to February. They also “upgraded” from supermarket-bought durians and to searching all corners of Singapore for better quality fare.
Fifteen years on, they are now running their own durian shop, aptly named The Durian Gang.
They are just one group among a wave of young people who are joining the durian trade out of a passion for the King of Fruits. But like many others, The Durian Gang is also finding out that it is a thorny industry, as they face challenges brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic and increasing competition.
Ms Tan, 30, left her job as an insurance agent to run The Durian Gang full time. The other women still hold their full-time jobs and take turns helping out at the shop, which opened in December.
The challenges began right from the start, as they were young women entering a male-dominated industry.
“When we were initially starting up our shop, many of the contractors disregarded us and would only seek out other males in the shop, despite them not being the bosses. They also thought they could cut corners because they were dealing with ‘little girls’.
“Our customers thought we were part-timer cashiers and did not take us seriously,” said Ms Tan.
While they have since been able to gain the trust and respect of their customers, business has been badly affected by the pandemic, she said.
“We didn’t have enough time to build on our reputation and customer base yet, before Covid-19 hit. We tried to do a lot of social media postings during the circuit breaker to get our name out there, but in this competitive durian industry, word of mouth is still the strongest,” said Ms Tan.
“We burned through S$100,000 within the first three months of opening. We barely broke even but our sales of frozen durian puree to bakeries during the off season helped to boost our business a little,” she added.
‘RISK-FREE BUSINESS’
Ms Tok Xue Min (left) and Ms Priscilla Lim, the co-founders of Durian Queens. Photo: Nuria Ling/TODAY
With a target customer base of those between the ages of 18 and 35, the Durian Queens only offer their goods via pre-order and delivery, a strategy which has proven to be “profitable from day one” and “risk-free”, they said, though they declined to reveal their margins.
This is because they can run the business without the hassle and costs of running a physical store, said Ms Priscilla Lim, 26, one of three partners behind Durian Queens.
From Friday to Wednesday, customers are able to place their orders, and every Thursday, the durians are brought in from Malaysia before being collected by the trio, sorted and delivered the same night.
The idea to start the business began as Ms Lim’s father had been travelling to Johor Baru for the past seven years to frequent his favourite durian shop, whose owner had always tried to convince him to bring his durians into Singapore.
Sometime in June, Ms Lim and her two friends realised that there was a demand for durian delivery services among their peers, and so they decided to take up the durian supplier’s offer and launched their business just two weeks later.
“Though our supplier can bring durians in everyday, we decided to do it on a pre-order basis because we weren’t sure how many customers we would have and we didn’t want to have overheads and wasted durians that were not going to be sold,” said Ms Lim.
“This model works for us now while we try to navigate and learn more about the different types of durians and the industry. We will continue to sell nitrogen frozen durians on a pre-order basis during the off peak season too,” she added.
24K GOLD DURIANS
Mr Charles Phua of Dr Durian, tries to get innovative with his products to draw new customers. Photo: Nuria Ling/TODAY
During off-peak seasons, Mr Charles Phua, 32, the owner of Dr Durian, is focused on selling frozen durians, durian-flavoured popcorn and durian-flavoured cotton candy, amongst other treats.
But even during durian season, he tries to innovate. His best-selling product since starting his business three years ago is durian topped with 24k gold flakes.
He has also been experimenting with durians paired with hazelnut and chocolate sauces and sea salt flakes. In the past, Mr Phua has also sold what he called “durian creme brûlée”, which is slightly charred durian.
Mr Phua, who just gave up his physical store, is now focusing on a delivery model to cut costs.
“I wouldn’t say my business has been extremely successful but I’m really trying to create my own market. I’m trying to set myself apart. Though I’m selling the same thing, I’m trying to be different.
“My parents are still asking me to find a ‘proper job’, one with CPF (Central Provident Fund). My parents are very traditional, they just want me to have a stable life,” he said.
SUSTAINABLE, NOT PROFITABLE
Mr Wong Chu Yi, the owner of Durian Kaki, says profits have declined sharply since he started out in 2016. Photo: Nuria Ling/TODAY
Mr Wong Chu Yi, 33, the owner of Durian Kaki in Yishun St 22, has been in the business for about four years but says the trade is not as lucrative as it once was.
The former accountant decided at the start of 2016 that he did not want to be deskbound anymore. A few months into unemployment, Mr Wong went to his uncle’s durian shop of 40 years to buy some fruit when he was asked by his uncle to help out.
What started out as a job packing durians blossomed into an interest in the trade and a realisation that the business was a profitable one.
“For the past two years, there have been a lot of new vendors and most of them came in with the idea that it's a very lucrative business. When I first came in, it was very lucrative but after the China market started to have a demand for durians, the cost price from the supplier went up a lot,” said Mr Wong.
His profit last year was 77.5 per cent lower than in 2016, he noted.
“For me I've built this for almost five years and it's not profitable, but sustainable. We’re doing okay at the moment because of the profits we made in the past that can save us in these rainy days,” he said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY NURIA LING
Topics
durian
Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/gold-leaf-and-same-day-delivery-young-durian-sellers-try-make-their-mark-thorny-industry
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