FANS of Musang King will soon be able to savour the highly-priced durian in various product forms from an in-kiosk environment.
This follows the sealing of a partnership between Raub-based Musang King planter DSR and food & beverage (F&B) retailer Daily Fresh Foods Group to retail specialty durian products.
DSR would hold 70% stake in DSR Daily Fresh Sdn Bhd with Daily Fresh holding the remaining 30%.
The DSR-Daily Fresh partnership will pave way for development of durian-based products made from authentic Musang King durians which will then be sold at 1,600 Daily Fresh retail outlets across 16 countries including Malaysia.
For starters, both partners would exclusively offer durian truffle popcorn, Musang King gelato and Musang King gelato filled croissants, puffs, waffles, tarts as well as Bentong ginger tea. These items will be made available at Daily Fresh kiosks in Malaysia early next month.
DSR co-founder Datuk Ng Lian Poh said the DSR-Daily Fresh’s durian-infused products tap into Malaysians’ deep affinity for the king of fruits.
According to the Durian Global Market Report by Plantations International & Durian Harvests, Malaysians are the world’s largest consumers of durian per year at 11kg of fresh durian per capita, far exceeding China’s 0.21kg per annual capita.
“Together with Daily Fresh, we are championing a sustainable ‘orchard-to-market’ approach to harness the full potential of Malaysia’s signature produce, and make its specialty products available all-year round,” enthused Ng.
“Partnering a reputable F&B innovator and retailer to develop premium durian-based products is a multiple-win strategy at all fronts.”
To Daily Fresh Foods Group managing director Chay Hong Choong, the challenge lies in developing a product range that is innovative, palatable and easily accessible to consumers – while still retaining the distinct taste of fresh Musang King.
“DSR’s values clearly align with ours, and we share a vision of developing Malaysia’s upstream-to-downstream durian market,” he stressed.
“We are confident that this partnership will bear fruit – combining DSR’s experience in durian orchard management and reliable supply of authentic Raub Musang King durians with our product development expertise and nationwide network.”
Moreover, the DSR-Daily Fresh partnership is poised to gain instant access to Daily Fresh’s existing touchpoints overseas, namely Indonesia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Russia, South Africa, Turkey and China.
Quipping that DSR was an acronym for ‘Durian Sudah Runtuh’, Ng added: “Developing downstream durian-based products will not only give due recognition for Raub’s Musang King but also sustain durian farmers’ earnings in the off-season, thus bringing the windfall durian sudah runtuh effect on them as well!” – Mar 8, 2021