Malaysia is pushing to take durian, whose powerful smell delights its lovers and repels its haters, beyond its roadside stalls and family orchards to convince fans of the spiky fruit that its varieties are worth seeking out.
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varieties → push → fruit
Devotees savor durians like wine.
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Devotees → savor → wine
For Malaysian ones, the taste of their rich and creamy flesh varies widely across types.
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taste → vary → types
Some are prized for their sweet custard and fruity notes, others for a hint of bitterness, an alcohol tinge or even a peanut butter flavor.
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others → prize → bitterness
Malaysians’ efforts to elevate the industry can be found in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, at a center devoted exclusively to the fruit and the growing variety of products made from it.
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efforts → elevate → it
At the Kuala Lumpur Durian Experience Centre, near the landmark Petronas Twin Towers, visitors venture into a replica durian orchard to discover the fruit’s culture and history.
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visitors → venture → culture
In another room, a theater show draws laughter.
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show → draw → laughter
Downstairs, visitors enjoy platters and egg tarts crafted from it.
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visitors → enjoy → it
Launched this summer after an investment of nearly $2 million, the two-story center spans about 1,900 square meters (20,450 square feet) and is open daily.
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center → launch → meters
Its durian shop welcomes guests from morning to midnight.
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shop → welcome → midnight
Its founder, Edison Ang, said the center targets both local customers and tourists, especially those from China, the world’s biggest durian importer.
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center → say → China
He said Chinese palates have long been influenced by Thai durian culture.
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palates → say → culture
“What we actually hope for now is not to get people who don’t eat durian to start eating durian,” he said.
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he → hope → durian
“Instead, we hope consumers who are already eating durian from other countries will switch to Malaysian durian.”
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who → hope → durian
Rising demand presents challenges
In 2025, China imported 1.87 million tonnes of fresh durian worth $7.5 billion, with volume jumping over six times in the past decade, according to its customs data.
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volume → rise → data
Thailand’s earlier entry helped it secure over half that market by value in 2025.
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it → help → 2025
Malaysia, which began exporting fresh durian to China in 2024, was dwarfed.
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which → begin → 2024
But for the first half of 2026, the value of China’s fresh durian imports from Malaysia quadrupled compared with the same period last year, pointing to rapid growth.
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value → quadruple → growth
Unlike their rivals, Malaysian growers typically do not harvest early, instead collecting only naturally ripened fruit caught in nets or ropes as they fall.
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they → harvest → nets
That’s the industry’s biggest advantage and also its biggest weakness, Ang said, as sellers have to race against time because the fruit’s shelf life is at most two to three days.
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life → ’ → time
Any delays would affect its quality.
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delays → affect → quality
When his stock got held up for several days during customs checks, his refund rate climbed, he said.
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he → hold → checks
Durian sales are also sensitive to economic conditions, said Leron Yee, founder of DKing, whose business covers both export and domestic markets.
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business → say → export
When the Chinese economy performs well, his business improves, but if the buying power of Chinese consumers falls, he needs to find alternative markets, he said.
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he → perform → markets
“It is a luxury, not a necessity,” he said.
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he → say → ?
Going beyond the fruit itself
Businesses are finding opportunities in what the fruit can become.
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fruit → go → opportunities
Yee’s business sells durian paste, durian-flavored chocolate and mochi — and even mooncakes ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
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business → sell → Festival
DurianBB founder Adrian Choy’s company offers durian ice cream, desserts and dried durian at a cafe, alongside coffee flavored with the Musang King variety and other items.
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company → offer → variety
His brand also offers guided farm tours.
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brand → offer → tours
In July, Choy’s brand went a step further and launched a durian flower perfume that smells sweet and floral.
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that → go → perfume
Choy said branching into other products is important because it will add value to the food itself and differentiate his business, even when others compete on price.
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others → say → price
“Food is food,” he said.
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he → say → ?
“You cannot sell it like 50% more because your branding is different.”
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branding → sell → more
Across China, durian specialty shops have mushroomed, with some specializing in Malaysian varieties.
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some → mushroom → varieties
In Beijing, the Jiang Sir durian shop sells platters priced roughly between 300 and 1,000 yuan (about $44 to $150), depending on the weight of the pulp and the varieties chosen.
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shop → sell → pulp
Its employee, Hou Yuxin, welcomed the growing number of similar shops and brushed off pressure from competition, saying it would help boost the market for Malaysian durians.
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it → welcome → durians
She noted many people now want to enjoy durians during their trips to Malaysia.
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people → note → Malaysia
Zhang, a visitor from Shanghai who started eating durian during his university days, saw a durian no bigger than his palm for the first time.
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who → start → time
He said Malaysian ones were creamier than those from Thailand and had different flavors.
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ones → say → flavors
He was impressed by the center offering more than just the fruit.
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He → impress → fruit
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
