On 25 August 2024, the first shipment of Malaysian fresh durians arrived by air at Zhengzhou Airport in China. The arrival of this shipment marked the official start of trade sales of Malaysian fresh durians to China. Dole, an international fruit brand with a hundred-year heritage and a leader in the fruit industry, was one of the first companies to introduce Malaysian fresh durians to China.
This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia. In the past 50 years, the bilateral relationship between China and Malaysia has continued to develop, radiating friendly cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, laying a solid foundation for the development of related industries. It is of great significance for the export of fresh durians to China to begin during this milestone period.
Dole Malaysian Fresh Musang King Durian debut
The first Dole Musang King Durians arrived at Zhengzhou Wanbang Market and Shanghai Huizhan Market on 26 August and the occasion was celebrated with a launch ceremony. The first batch of limited quantity sold out in very short time with many clients showing their strong interest in the top-class durian. Representatives from the Malaysian Consulate General in Shanghai, Malaysian Durian Manufacturer Association, Dole China senior management, Dole distributor partners and guests from Shanghai HuiZhan Market attended the ceremony in Shanghai. Dole China’s core sales team, Dole distributor partners and guests from Zhengzhou Wanbang Market attended the launch ceremony in Zhengzhou.
Yang Zhenyu, general manager of Dole China, said, “Durian is one of the most important fruits grown and exported by Malaysia. Frozen durians have been sold in China before and have received very good reputation from market. When Dole was informed of the imminent entry of Malaysian fresh durians into China, Dole professional team immediately visit the origin area to prepare for its entry.
”We have full confidence in the sales of Malaysian fresh durians in China. As the most representative Malaysian durian and a cutting-edge product in the durian industry, we believe that Dole Musang King Fresh Durian will become a brand new and honorable choice for durian gourmets in China.”
Dole continues to invest in high-quality durian development
As an international fruit brand with hundred-year heritage and a leader in fruit industry, Dole continues to work closely with global core farms to introduce advantageous varieties of durian to China for large-scale trade cooperation. The professional team of Dole has rich experience in the whole chain of operations from origin searching, variety selection, supply chain management, quality control, transportation, secondary sorting and packaging, operation and promotion. Before the introduction of Malaysian Musang King fresh durians, Dole has successfully promoted more than ten durian products in China, such as Golden Puyat durians, Monthong durians, Musang King frozen durians, etc, which have gained good reputation from many purchasers, channel dealers and end-consumers.
Before the signing of the agreement for the export of Malaysian fresh durians to China in 2024, Yang Zhenyu, general manager of Dole China, led a professional durian team to visit the core production areas of Malaysian durians. They conducted several rounds of consultation with local high-quality orchards, and finally chose the durian growers who met Dole’s high quality control standards, in order to prepare for the first import of Malaysian fresh durians into China.
Dole made full preparations for the selection of supply sources. Dole also invited the first domestic sensory laboratory “Panda Guide” to conduct a comprehensive analysis of main durian varieties in market. The sweetness and fineness of Musang King durian ranked in first place. The comprehensive sensory score of 92 points ranked top among all the durians.
Dole Malaysian Musang King fresh durians will cover two main production seasons, from June to September, and December to February. They will sell in high-end super channels such as Ole and City’super, as well as wholesale markets nationwide.
Tree-ripened fruit flown to Chinese consumers within 48 hours
Dole Musang King fresh durians are grown from core farms such as Pahang, Malaysia, growing in hilly areas with abundant sunshine and rainfall, giving durians unique and luxurious flavours.
Dole adheres to the industry’s consistently high selection and quality control standards for Malaysian Musang King durians. Dole strictly selects authentic old tree durians, and durians will naturally fall off when fully ripe to ensure their optimal maturity and flavour. After falling, durian needs to be delivered to consumers quickly to ensure the best freshness, which is a great challenge of operational efficiency and professionalism. With Dole’s rich experience in fresh durian operation, all Musang King fresh durians will be shipped by air, so that fresh durians can be delivered to Chinese consumers in 48 hours at the earliest, ensuring that the taste of Malaysian tree-ripened durians can be savoured by Chinese consumers at the first time.
Dole Musang King Fresh Durian has a rich flavour with a long-lasting sweet aftertaste and delicate and smooth flesh. The Dole team strictly selects the fruit and ensures that each Musang King Fresh Durian is full of four-roomed flesh.
Malaysian Musang King durian is not only a gourmet treat, the unique five-star seal is also a symbol of status and honour, often used as a high-grade gift to express deep friendship and respect. In the coming days, Dole will introduce more packages and combinations of Musang King fresh durians to meet the diversified needs of consumers for this top-class durian.
Dole makes great investments to help promote Malaysian fresh durian in China
Dole was founded in 1851, as a leading fruit and vegetable brand with a history of 173 years. Dole has sales network in more than 90 countries around the world, and has its own farms in many countries, with rich experience in fruit and vegetable planting, processing and cultivation promotion. Dole entered China in 1998 and has now established large-scale modern processing and distribution centres in ten cities across the country.
Dole focuses on domestic consumption trends and in recent years, China’s durian consumption has continued to grow. In 2023, China’s fresh durian imports will reach 1.426m tonnes up 73 per cent from the year prior. Fresh durian imports will reach US$6.7bn, an increase of 66 per cent each year, making it the top imported fruit category for several consecutive years.
Durian has become one of the favourite tropical fruits for more and more consumers because of its extremely rich nutritional content, containing different vitamins, rich amino acids and minerals.
With the successful debut of Dole Malaysian Musang King durian, Dole’s durian business segment will be more complete. Dole will collaborate with domestic resources to bring Chinese consumers great durian experience.
