After a year of shutting the business, I guess it's hard to say "never say never". Some of you dear faithfuls - customers and suppliers - pinned hope on The Thorny Fruit Co's return. I am sincerely grateful.
With the return of The Thorny Fruit Co, comes a revamped and new management - a new set of business partners plus myself. Exciting new possibilities from all the learnings of the failings I've had. More experience from those now involved.
The best news? We will be growing to include national delivery in phases. Baby steps.
We pray, you'll be patient with us as we return.
Meanwhile, stay tuned with the TTFC Relaunch Specials collection and hit "Notify When Available".
Zona
]]>Gawai Ba'ak. Head Party by Tiyan Baker (2022) is an art installation commissioned by Sydney College of the Arts Gallery that represents Bidayuh headhunting ceremony. "A head party was a ceremony for when enemy heads were taken back to the longhouse. Contrary to Western notions of Dayak savagery, this was as much a celebration of conquest of an enemy as it was an invitation to forge a new friendship. It involved feeding, washing, caring for the new heads and doing everything you could to make sure they were happy in their new home."
When Tiyan decided to use durians to represent the heads, her juxtaposition of the thorny fruit and decapitated heads became (for me) an incredible voice of taboo and misconception of Western perception towards Indigenous culture and this fruit.
Every now and again in The Thorny Fruit Co, I love talking about the cultural depths of the durian beyond the commercial sale of this fruit. And Tiyan has helped open my eyes to a side of the fruit I barely knew, even as a born and bred Malaysian.
I met Tiyan late 2020, when she messaged me to ask for discarded durian husks for her art installation. It was with her piece Juruh (2020), that taught me about her mother's Serian Bidayuh tribe and their deep relationship with durian.
The Bidayuh are a hillside tribe of the northern Sarawak region, whose nomadic roots can be traced by the location of centuries old durian trees throughout the Borneo jungle. The trees are respected as ancestral grounds. The fruit itself is respected and returned to earth. No seed or husk are simply thrown away. It must be returned to earth to be regrown - to bring continuity of life, wealth and nourishment back to the community.
Such was the tone of Tiyan's latest piece, Gawai Ba'ak, where she had created a stark collection of in-your-face decapitated heads using Australian-grown durians.
I thought about how appropriate it was, in particular knowing Tiyan's own heritage. Tiyan is an anglo-Australian born in Darwin NT to a Bidayuh mother. Tiyan had selected Darwin-grown durians from the December 2021 season, and earnestly preserved them over 5 months to be transformed into Bidayuh "heads" for this artwork. These were the two pieces of her culture she melded unto itself. It also displayed (to me) a vulnerable battle of her personal heritage and identity through her artistic expression.
What also intrigued me, was that I had always misunderstood head hunting as a ritual of savagery, as told to me in the Malaysian history textbooks in a whitewashed manner. Instead, Tiyan's artwork conveyed the opposite. The Bidayuh tribes who were custodians of heads, had celebrations of community, friendship and warmth whenever hunted heads were brought back to their longhouses. In fact, guests to the tribe's longhouse were warmly welcomed to sleep underneath openly displayed hunted heads. This was a gesture of friendship and hospitality.
Similarly to durians where they're known as fruits for communal festivities and shared in acts of friendship. Whenever Malaysians had guests alien to our culture, and it happened to be durian season, we would warmly welcome them to share our durian fruit.
There is so much to love and know in order to respect the durian fruit. Especially when tales of ancestral honour originates from Borneo, a sacred land which I view as the Eden of tropical fruits.
I was honoured to be invited to provide catering for a special in-conversation talk at the SCA Gallery on the last day of the exhibition. I witnessed Tiyan share her experience and discuss the cultural aspects of her installation with Bidayuh scholar, Dr June Rubis. So I knew I had to honour this talk with durian, mangosteen and jackfruit to represent the fellowship of the day.
I had commissioned John Ralley for Textbook's famous Durian Croissants, the popular Honey Jackfruit danish from our high tea last year, and a new creation - a Mangosteen Vanilla Tart.
It was a blessing to have two personal friends, whom serendipitously were brought together on stage, to help me learn more about a facet of my Malaysian heritage and durian.
***
More of Tiyan Baker's work can be found at tiyanbaker.com.
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Sydney, NSW. Experience the King of Fruits, the durian and honey jackfruit presented in the most extraordinary culinary event ever to be held in Sydney. The Thorny Fruit Company and Rockman Australia in partnership with the Malaysian Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries is hosting a unique high tea event on Saturday 27th November 2021 at Ho Jiak Town Hall.
The event will feature Malaysia’s controversial and famous fruits reimagined into culinary dishes by The Thorny Fruit Co’s Zona Tan-Sheppard in collaboration with Textbook Boulangerie-Patisserie’s John Ralley and MakMak’s Carlos Heng.
The Malaysian Fruit Culinary Showcase is a feast of the senses for first timers and veteran lovers of the Malaysian Musang King durian and the J33 Honey Jackfruit who want to experience these fruits in a unique culinary form.
Rockman Australia, the supplier of choice for the culinary showcase, is one of Australia’s largest importers and wholesale distributors, as well as the pioneer importer of premium grade Malaysian Durian since 2006. Rockman’s Malaysian Honey Jackfruit is a new entrant into the Australian market first hitting grocers this year. Both products will be available for sale to the public in a supplementary stand at the event.
The Showcase is a private sit-down high tea affair, where ticket sales will commence Monday 15 November 2021.
Showcase guests will enjoy the Sydney-famous Durian Croissant by Head Pâtissier John Ralley of Textbook Boulangerie-Patisserie. When Ralley first introduced the Durian Croissant at their Alexandria boulangerie in 2018, he never expected to be mobbed by durian lovers queuing from 4am. Ralley has since made the Durian Croissant a bi-annual special, where they are a best seller and always sold out within the first hour. Now guests can forgo the queue and enjoy this famous croissant in a comfortable sit-down high tea setting.
The event will introduce guests to tempoyak, a traditional Malaysian recipe made from fermented durian. The two savoury high tea features will be in the form of Ho Jiak’s Nasi Lemak in a Bite featuring sambal tempoyak, and a delectable umami-filled durian (tempoyak) gravy in a pie co-created by Ralley and Tan-Sheppard.
“Many Sydney durian lovers know the fruit well, but don’t realise the durian is cooked in savoury dishes,” explains The Thorny Fruit Co founder Zona Tan-Sheppard, who frequently hosts durian tasting parties and public events across Sydney.
“I curated the degustation-style dishes because many durian lovers I meet at my tasting parties are unaware of the durian’s versatility. The high-tea is the chance for them to taste without committing to a huge serving of a dish they’re unfamiliar with.”
A high tea cannot be complete without Sydney’s best macaron pâtissier, Carlos Heng, who will be reconnecting with his Malaysian roots to present an elegant durian and honey jackfruit macaron pair at the showcase.
“This high-tea is an opportunity to taste and indulge in the honey jackfruit and durian in both savoury and sweet form,” says Maheran Zahari, Consul of the Malaysian Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries (MAFI) Sydney office.
“The menu is a modern take of what Malaysians know as traditional dishes. We, along with the Federal Agriculture and Marketing Authority (FAMA), are excited to be collaborating with The Thorny Fruit Company and Rockman Australia in this unique culinary event that showcases the best of Malaysia’s fruits available in Australia.”
“We hope to continue our intensive campaign to increase awareness of the availability of premium Malaysian tropical fruits in the Australian market, and to build momentum in our global trade partnerships.”
]]>
What do you get when Sydney's most entertaining radio duo tries durian for the first time? WSFM with Jonesy & Amanda invited The Thorny Fruit Co to help them experience the world's most stinkiest fruit right in their studio.
We started off with opening and tasting a Malaysian Musang King, where both Jonesy and Amanda took a decent bite.
Then we helped them understand that not all durians taste the same by serving up a tasting tray of the D24, D101 and D13 durian varieties.
Watch their reactions on their IG video, and listen in to the full radio interview.
[📸 Photo Credits WSFM]
When I received the email request for durian from WSFM with Jonesy and Amanda's producer on Monday morning, I admit I was hesitant and excited at the same time.
Durians don't get good press for obvious reasons. As a former TV Producer, I know how flying in the slipstream of trending news creates attention. As a new small business owner struggling to make a living, any publicity helps. This was a great opportunity.
Hell, I sell durians in Sydney. How the hell am I going to get mainstream with a divisive fruit. 🙈
I always watch Amanda Keller on The Living Room with admiration, and I sifted through her past food videos on their socials for research. I knew what I needed to do.
I could have easily delivered the fruit at their studio and left them to their own devices. Instead, I asked if I could be there to provide guidance and information as they had their first taste of durian. I wasn't sure if they would take the offer. We discussed details, and they locked in our recording date.
Up until the show aired, I still had no idea how this was going to pan out. All I knew is that, much like my own life where I never fit in, this fruit was misunderstood and an acquired taste. My best effort is to do it justice, the best way I knew how by sharing the knowledge I had.
Amanda and Jonesy were professional, entertaining and respectful. In fact, they actually genuinely loved the Musang King.
I had so much fun. Just as I have fun at my durian tasting parties helping people of all backgrounds and cultures, both veteran thorny lovers and beginners, discover the durian and learn to love it.
]]>
[UPDATE JAN 2022 - Role still available] We're seeking a Thorny Fruit lover as a casual/part time Team Assistant!
✅ THE GIG
You’ll ensure our customers are happy with their orders and receive their deliveries in a fresh and timely manner every week.
You will be providing some degree of customer service/hospitality experience.
You'll help repack fresh tropical fruit, and will be an enthusiastic team player at our durian events.
Bonus points if you know how to open durians 🎉💪🏻
You’re super organised, critical thinker who can juggle logistical labyrinths.
You can weight lift 10kg boxes when required.
You must find your way to our shared Rosebery warehouse every week.
✅ ALL ABOUT YOU
You’re an energetic, independent go-getter with a positive attitude. You’re a solutions whizz, enjoy troubleshooting, and have hospitality or warehouse experience.
You have a customer focus attitude.
You're not afraid to say “I don’t know that one, let me find out!”
✅ THE MUST HAVEs
✅ THE PACKAGE & PERKS
⚠️ Send us your CV with a cover letter via email to shop@thethornyfruit.com.au
Applications close 15 MARCH 2022. Only shortlisted thorny potentials will be contacted.
]]>p.s. All exisiting GoldThon Fresh Air-Flown Musang King will be delivered this week Wed 25 August. Please await email communications.
***
UPDATE MON 26 JULY 2021: Our family have been contacted by NSW Health and notified that we are classified as CLOSE CONTACTS to a confirmed COVID-19 case. We are required to self-isolate until Friday 6 August 2021. There will be NO pre-orders or deliveries until further notice.
***
Due to the tightening of restrictions, our last delivery during this Sydney lockdown will be on Wednesday 21 July 2021.
This is a very difficult decision to make due to our already failing financial situation.
I have also been battling an illness at home the past few weeks. During Thursday's delivery, I nearly found myself fainting while packing orders. For those who don't know, I live with a hereditary condition called Polycystic Kidney Disease. This means, I am immunocompromised and at severe risk from COVID-19.
My husband also has health complications. With two of us at home who are at risk, and the increasing anxiety over this Delta strain, I have decided for the safety of my family to stop deliveries and service until further notice.
We will proceed with delivery of the fresh air-flown Musang King and limited frozen durian orders on Wednesday 21 July, as this stock is already on its way.
We are grateful for your love and support. Please stay safe and take care of yourselves.
Curious to know, how many durian lovers here know what the Musang King durian grading means? It does not apply to other durian clones like D24, D101 etc. Only Musang King.
Across the fresh produce industry, fruit that have the most optimum size and flesh has usually been sold as premium over the “ugly fruit” or odd shaped ones. It’s almost like the Miss Universe of fruit.
In the Musang King Durian world, the grading has been about durian sellers getting the most $ from their durian. So this would mean the plantation or packing house would separate the fruit by shape.
This durian grade has NOTHING to do with the taste, texture or quality of fruit.
Ah Seng Durians in Singapore has a Facebook post explaining the grading categories as mainly for billing purposes. Of which, we have adapted to simplify understanding of this grading for you.
🔸AA Grade Musang King
* Weight is above 1.5kg, up to 3.5kg
* 4-5 sections of the durian has pulp
* Shape of overall durian is a “fuller”, more oblong shape
* Yield of pulp to fruit weight should be around 25-30%. E.g. 2kg fruit yields around 500-600g of flesh
* Pulp shape tends to be oblong, fuller and long
🔸 A Grade Musang King
* Weight averages 1.3-3.5kg
* 3 sections of the durian has pulp
* Shape of overall durian between oblong to teardrop
* Yield of pulp to fruit weight approx 20-25%. E.g. 2kg fruit yields around 400-500g of flesh
* Pulp shape can be a mix of full oblong or a tapered oblong
🔸 B Grade Musang King
* Weight averages 0.7-1.3kg
* Less than 3 sections of the durian has pulp
* These will be your odd bunch, usually extreme teardrop shaped, kucing tidur (curled like a sleeping cat), or extremely asymmetrical
* Yield of pulp to fruit weight approx 10%. E.g. 2kg fruit yields around 100-200g of flesh
* Pulp shape is tapered, or a single odd big bean shape
***
Photo credit: Durian photos are taken from various sources around Facebook and the WWW, reproduced to illustrate grading.
Now I have to decide if I should close The Thorny Fruit Co business I've painstakingly built the past two and a half years as a sole trader, or keep it going...
Deep inside, I am in love with what I've created. Yes, I made plenty of rookie mistakes - including finances which stem from family trauma that leaves me in the headspace that I can't recover financially.
If you asked me exactly 3 years ago, if I ever have dreamt of becoming a durian seller, I would have cackled. I had a comfortable digital marketing job and was about to give birth to my 2nd daughter.
Little did I know, my already unravelled life would continue unravelling. Within 3 months, my daughter was born, my husband had his second heart attack and I was made redundant.
The Thorny Fruit Co idea originally began in a voluntary-run community group where I bought 400kg Australian durians in November 2018. It was fun.
Then I started buying Australian-grown mangosteens, rambutans and pomelos in bulk for people. It snowballed.
Business kept growing, and when the big-C hit last year, it accelerated. My husband lost his job. TTFC became our sole household income, yet wasn't enough.
In a short 2.5 years, business annual sales revenue hit 6-figures. My business inexperience was starting to show. The revenue and profit was not enough to grow this business to keep up with customer demand AND juggle my household expenses (two children and a mortgage) simultaneously.
I have been a stickler for building The Thorny Fruit Co into a strong reliable brand, and where possible with quality and good tasting products (in my opinion). I have developed the business into maintaining the quality & handling of the frozen durians using the hire of a weekly chilled/frozen delivery van contractor, and hired a friend to run my customer service because I was too emotional to do it myself.
In the last 8 months, I have overspent funds on
However, I have not been able to retain reliable part time staff and have had to regrettably cut down on orders and deliveries to juggle family commitments and my personal health.
As such, I've fallen hugely behind on cashflow and I've come to a crossroad on whether to shut the business (declare bankruptcy), or keep going...
A big part of me does not want to close The Thorny Fruit Co. But, the lack of capital is holding my business back.
I know that TTFC has touched the lives and imaginations of many individuals and communities who have encountered me and this little business baby. I have a tiny inkling of hope that there are perhaps others out there who wants me to keep going.
I know businesses have suffered worse debt than I have, and recovered. So maybe, I can still do something about it...?
I started a GoFundMe campaign AND as a suggestion from a customer, listed out all the remaining stock I have for sale as an APPEAL to raise money to pay off my debts and help me keep the business afloat.
I am hoping that anyone out there sees value in what I do, can help me keep building the business better. Even a small $10 donation and sharing this appeal will mean the world to me.
]]>
Effective 20th May 2021, we will scale down & cease our weekly concierge service of fresh produce. Frozen durians will continue to be available every week.
Unfortunately, even with business booming the past 12 months, I haven't been able to find consistent staff to help with the picking and packing of weekly orders. Therefore, I've regretfully had to make the decision to scale down to stop the concierge service model, and go back to the grassroots of The Thorny Fruit Co.
]]>Effective 20th May 2021, we will scale down & cease our weekly concierge service of fresh produce. Frozen durians will continue to be available every week.
It's been a challenging year. The Thorny Fruit Co survived its second year through a pandemic. If that isn't a crazy experience, I don't know what is.
Unfortunately, even with business booming the past 12 months, I haven't been able to find consistent staff to help with the picking and packing of weekly orders. Therefore, I've regretfully had to make the decision to scale down to stop the concierge service model, and go back to the grassroots of The Thorny Fruit Co.
When I started with exotic fruits, it was on a pre-sale group buy model with specific dates for every fruit that came into season. Depending on how often the fruits were sent down from Northern Territory or Far North Queensland, I was able to pick two dates about one or two weeks apart, and collect orders only for those delivery dates. That model helped me run a more efficient, and less labour intensive business. I didn't need capital or storage space either!
It's time to go back to our roots.
But you know what? I'm stuck with an awesome 9sqm freezer skid hire for the next 6 months, and a fantastic supplier, Don's Durian. So specialising in selling Thorny Fruits will always be our hero.
Every once in a while, Uncle Don will also bring down frozen cempedak, frozen salak madu, and other delicious Malaysian treats - and we can't say no to his brand's quality produce. We'll run these products as a limited time group buy.
That's another thing we need heavy man-power for, and we've had complaints that our queues are slow. Hey! How many people in Sydney do you know can open 100kg durians in 2 hours without? Send us a message!
We still will run our events, when we have the stock and resources, of course! The website, Facebook, Instagram or email newsletter is the best place to find out when that happens.
We apologise for the inconvenience this changes makes. While we loved being at your service, sometimes there is only so much one person can do.
The website will gradually see sections changed, and products will be unavailable. This will all work with the new business model.
In the meantime, subscribe to our email newsletter if you want to be ahead of the changes.
Thanks for the smelly times!
x, Zona
]]>We live in a lucky country, which we take for granted. Many Southeast Asian migrants moving to Australia experience a notable culture shock at the high price and difficulty finding fresh tropical fruits in this country.
Those who grew up eating the (free) tropical fruits from their parents' backyard, and Australians who travel to Southeast Asia have this misconception that tropical fruits "should be" available in abundance at low prices at street side stalls or green grocers exactly like in Asia. This misbelief needs to be reframed.
In the 2 years that The Thorny Fruit Co has been in existence, we are constantly (and dishearteningly) buggered with exclamations of "So expensive!" Our short answer to this is - supply vs demand economics.
Australian-grown tropical fruits are in scarce supply and will remain on the high end of the price spectrum for several reasons (and decades yet). The primary reason being the majority of tropicals are not grown commercially. Supply is scarce, trees are mostly slow growing, and high priced because it cannot keep up with consumption from a fast growing population of East & Southeast Asian migrants and well-travelled Australians who are familiar with these tropicals. The secondary reason is attributed to the basic cost of growing any produce in this country. Australia is a highly regulated agriculture industry for good reason. So growers' costs are increased for the required certifications and food industry standards (e.g. Freshcare, HACCP, etc) which Asian countries do not have, or have little requirements. This alone adds on to the cost of growing and selling any produce in Australia. But that's another blog on its own.
Australia is a continental island with eight climate zones, where only 3% is rainforest located within the tropical climate zone in Far North Queensland (FNQ).
The fresh tropical fruits that The Thorny Fruit Co sources like the durian, mangosteen, rambutans, duku-langsat are typically classified as Ultra-Tropical that can only grow successfully within the Australian rainforest tropical climate zone. This means that to successfully grow and hit fruit-bearing maturity age, the trees require average annual temperature between 21°C to 30°C, with approx 2000-3000mm annual rainfall and a distinct wet vs dry season to aid flowering and fruiting. With durian trees, they would usually die (or not fruit) when grown at temperature levels under 12°C, and in frost prone regions.
About (95%) of the tropical fruits grown in Australia are not endemic. Whilst Australian native tropical fruit exist, the majority of FNQ tropicals are human-introduced fruit species from the world's tropical regions including Southeast Asia, East Asia, Tropical West Africa, Central and South America. Hence coping with a different environment means many of these tropical fruit trees need to evolve and adapt to survive.
The other factor that makes Australian tropicals very challenging to grow in FNQ is the annual cyclonic weather patterns that do not occur in Southeast Asian regions. There are annual rainfalls of 9000mm in some regions of Far North Queensland, that can negatively affect tropical fruits.
From the 13,000 mature durian trees grown in FNQ at commercial levels from the mid-80s and late 1990s, Cyclones Winifred (1986), Larry (2006) and Yasi (2011) wiped out the trees down to less than 600 standing. This was enough to prompt many growers to give up on durians, and other tropicals with decades long fruit bearing age. This left many growers bankrupt, and orchards abandoned.
Whenever The Thorny Fruit Co receive questions on why there's not enough fruit available for pre-order, the common answer we respond with is "These are not commercial crops." Yet we get people reply, "We don't want a lot."
From where we stand even if 10 people demand for "not alot", say only 500g or 1kg calamansi and we only have 2kg in stock, this means there is not enough to meet our commercial demand.
Often, the 2kg we get are from backyard trees. Backyard growers are merely subsistence crops, trees meant to be grown as food for the landowner, not for sale by a business entity.
This means that there are no large scale production of ultra-tropical fruit growers who make a profit out of tropical mono-crops. Neither are there any ultra-tropical fruit growers with commercial capital intensive investment, nor Australian government agricultural funded support. In fact, the large majority of ultra-tropical fruit growers are on small/medium self-funded private acreage, or even backyard properties.
We would like to classify Australian tropicals into three categories:
We should probably add a fourth category - the undiscovered/untapped, rare backyard tropicals with commercial potential. Produce such as kencur/sand ginger, edible ferns (paku pakis), red ginger/jahe merah, white and black turmeric, snakefruit/salak - all exist and grow well in regions around FNQ. However, the commercial demand for them have not been made known to those who currently grow them.
In Far North Queensland, the current tropical fruit growers come from two main backgrounds:
In understanding that most of the tropical fruit we source from Queensland are from the second category of growers, it is evident that the scale, quality and availability of many of the fruits is not of commercial standards.
The Thorny Fruit Co have met a few of these FNQ growers, and it is safe to say the majority of them are unfortunately not full time farmers. Most have day jobs which force them to feed their family, whilst the tropical fruit harvests can be erratic due to weather, earning them only enough to survive barely 3 months of the year.
Yes, Australian tropicals may be expensive in comparison to our Asian counterparts. But this is a fledgling industry.
In turning down buying from these small number of Australian growers, we are inadvertently telling them with our purchasing power that there is no commercial interest in their crop. Otherwise, how else would they be earning an income to grow into a larger orchard.
Unless we invest in what they can grow for us today, we won't be able to enjoy any of the fresh tropical fruits of their labour tomorrow.
]]>The price of Australian mangosteens are a contentious issue - mainly from Southeast Asian migrants living in Australia. Understandably so, as mangosteens are native to Southeast Asia, grow and fruit prolifically. Not to mention with Thailand being the largest global exporter of mangosteens, the fruit is not scarce in the region.
The warm hot and humid climate all year round, sheltered from devastating weather patterns make Malaysia and Thailand a haven for mangosteen growing, and many tropical fruit.
But importing those tropical fruits into Australia can be a huge biosecurity risk with plant diseases.
Australia is such a blessed country (or continent!) where we can actually enjoy fruits from different climates through the year. In fact, we’re very lucky to enjoy North Queensland grown mangosteens that are deliciously sweet, plump and juicy! Some say they taste much better than Thailand mangosteens.
Australia’s Mangosteen History
The Mangosteen was introduced to Australia in the 1940s. The attempts to grow them in Southern Queensland and Northern NSW had failed. Eventually in the 1970s, as the trees began to establish successfully with fruit, North Queensland became the primary growing region and supplying 98.6% (approx 11,606 trees) of Australia’s mangosteens.
Whilst Darwin had also attempted growing mangosteen, it is no longer a commercial producer due to the high cost of maintaining the trees in the region’s dry season.
A slow growing tree, it can take between 7 to 10 years before a tree begins to fruit. It requires heavy shade in its seedling years, high humidity, and temperature between 20-33°C. Trees have died when temperature dips below 5°C; or even at higher than 38°C - which is a typical Darwin dry season.
The Risk of Growing Mangosteen
The devastation of Cyclone Larry in 2006, and Yasi in 2012 saw an exodus of Queensland farmers abandoning the exotic tropical fruit industry.
North Queensland gets hit with an average of 7-11 cyclones a year, every year. Cyclone season during November and April is also the same peak season for harvesting many Queensland tropical fruit such as durian, mangosteen, lychee, rambutan, marang, duku langsat and others.
One season could see a bountiful supply of fruit ready to be harvested, then all it takes is ONE single cyclone to wipe out the entire crop and fruit trees.
Can you imagine nuturing mangosteen trees over 7-10 years, then it fruits in abundance - only to have its first crop wiped out by a cyclone?
A thousand tonnes of fruit GONE - in a matter of minutes.
The Australian Agrifutures website shared that in 2011, “yields of 5,550 kg/ha and a farm gate price of AU$8/kg used in calculations that indicated a breakeven period of 20 years for mangosteen, with an initial investment of AU$191,100 required to establish a five hectare orchard and with recurrent costs of AU$73,333 per year.”
The Culture Shock
Whilst Southeast Asian migrants baulk and gripe at the price of Australian mangosteens between $55-80/kg in Sydney, there is no doubt that they’re comparing 130 Baht per kg (AU$5/kg) in Thailand, or RM8/kg (AU$2.50/kg) in Malaysia.
Hardly any consideration of the scarcity of Queensland Mangosteens ever crosses anyone’s mind.
The Unseen Cost
Australia’s labourer minimum wage is between AU$20-24 per hour, while in Thailand AUD$14 per hour, and in Malaysia barely AUD$2 per hour.
This very fact almost makes one realise - how happy we are to exploit our fellow Southeast Asians for cheap fruit.
In addition to labour, Australia’s continent has a huge logistical challenge. Freight between North Queensland and Sydney is over 2,500km. That’s equivalent to travelling from Singapore to Laos by road! Mangosteens like all Queensland tropical fruit, to keep costs reasonable is road-freighted down south.
A single 1000kg pallet of fruit could cost a farmer AU$200-300 to ship to Sydney. Adding $0.20-0.30/kg to the cost of fruit. Could you imagine how much it would cost to air-freight it?
So the next time you see the price of Australian mangosteens at your local greengrocer, and feel the pith of your stomach turn green, consider what it took to grow these deliciously royal fruit in this great country.
It is indeed royally priced, and a fruit fit for a Queen.
***
Don’t know how to pick fresh mangosteens? We’ll do it for you! Pre-order your GUARANTEED fresh Queensland mangosteens with us.
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Hi T,
Thanks for your reaching out with your email. I enjoy a good chat with passionate durian enthusiasts <3
Do you know the difference between Malaysian vs Thai durians? (And Australian-grown durians, too?)
Do you know why Malaysian durian isn't sold in a "seedless pulp" form? Mainly because it is ripe (or "overripe" by the definition of the Thais), soft and mushy. The Malaysian durian pulp will become mush with finger indentations once the seed is taken out and handled. Then the durian should be called paste! It will no longer hold the pulp shape. =) Meanwhile, Thai durians are not yet fully ripe, are crunchy, quite firm and hold their pulp shape. You can dig and cut out the seed easily, and no one will be the wiser.
Have you tasted Thai and Malaysian durians side by side? I would recommend trying it, and study the difference. Don't need to buy from us. Do it as an experiment with your friends =)
Putting aside cost and marketing information, the Malaysian and Thai durian fruits individually are vastly different. I've attached photos of Thai & Vietnamese seedless durian being sold at local grocers, where on the packaging it does not say "seedless pulp". It only says "Frozen Durian Seedless". Are these the brands you're referring to? We do not sell these.
The Malaysian and Australian durians that we purchase for our customers (we are not a shop, we're a concierge service) are either whole with husk, or are pulp with seeds unless specified as seedless. All Malaysian imported whole fruit durians are frozen for Australian Biosecurity regulations. Anyone telling you it is FRESH is lying and has defrosted their durians then claim it to be "fresh". I have a video on my Facebook showing anyone how to identify Fresh vs Frozen durians by the seed. Only ONE of our Malaysian durian fruit products on our website is seedless - and that is the durian paste which is best used for cooking or baking.
The word "pulp" is the botanical description of the durian anatomy. The pulp is also known as the aril or flesh of the durian which is the edible part of the fruit, which happens to include seeds. By botanical definition, I don't believe anyone is misleading anyone by using the word "pulp". In fact, even the durian seed is edible when cooked/boiled.
What do your friends recommend they be called? "Seeded Pulp"? Do your friends associate the word pulp to papier-mâché "pulp", perhaps?
I am Malaysian born, raised and bred, only having lived in Australia the last 13 years. I don't proclaim myself an expert on durian on the basis of my nationality. I have made an effort to learn from people, from farmers, from scientific papers, and from running my business. I also do plenty of research like the trained journalist that I am.
My business aims to do justice to this luxurious fruit by ensuring people are not cheated by local grocers who sell any durian as "Musang King" when they are not. I don't reckon anyone should proclaim themselves experts just because they are Malaysian/Singaporean - especially when they do not understand the core difference between Malaysian and Thai durian. How do you compare Australian salmon to Norwegian salmon? Or Fuji apples from China vs Australian Fuji apples?
I run my business with as much integrity and transparency as I can. I help educate my social media followers to make the right choices. Even if they don't buy from me. A funny example is I've seen on Malaysian Facebook Groups where they will buy $20/kg "Musang King" durian from Cabramatta who cheat buyers by selling them D101 or Vietnamese durian (the grocer himself told me this, and I've seen the lady do in front of me). These Malaysians then excitedly claim on Facebook that they are getting cheap Malaysian Musang King. I record videos and share links on TTFC Durian Lovers FB group to educate durian lovers on how to identify Musang King in the shops correctly.
Ironically some Malaysians don't know how to identify Malaysian Musang King durians. I can take you on a trip to Cabramatta, and point out to you which ones are Musang King, which ones are Thai durians and frozen. Or do a blind challenge and get me to ID durians with no tags =) I've learnt how to ID Musang King from an American girl with a website called, Year of the Durian.
I hope this info helps you out. I can empathise with your frustration and disappointment.
Thanks for reaching out. If you wish to learn more, feel free to reach out. If I can't answer it, I will ask someone who knows better than I do =)
Cheers,
Zona Tan-Sheppard
When friends used to describe the Musang King as richly bittersweet like coffee, I was dubious. None of the frozen-thawed MKs I’ve had in Sydney tasted like what they described. I’ve only ever experienced flat, custard sweet with any mild bitterness, only if the durian was “newly” arrived from Malaysia.
The longer the durians sat in the freezer, and they can last up to 2 years frozen, the more it loses its flavour characteristics.
I’ve lived in Sydney over 13 years. The last durian clone that was king when I left Malaysia was the D24. I never even heard of the Musang King. Apparently it was originally called “Raja Kunyit” (literally King Turmeric for its colour). Durian lovers then didn’t even enjoy its bitterness.
I personally didn’t rate the frozen Musang King. Occasionally, I would experience a whole frozen MK durian from one season - and it would have a heavy bitter hit! I don’t drink coffee. So the bitterness stood out on my palate.
I later learned from Year of the Durian, Lindsay Gasik, that what we describe as “bitter” actually is the “alcoholic” trait of a ripening durian. The strong fermented ripening flavour, before the flesh goes sour, is more prominent in some durian clones over others. I understood, it should be a little like a Kahlua custard then.
If this was the case, then it made sense that nitrogen frozen Musang King durians would not be able to retain much of the ripened alcoholic taste if its freezing process has crystalised the pulp.
Suddenly it was about the freezing process. Did the factory capture the durian at the right time? Was it early? It’s almost as though the nitro freezing captures the moment of each individual fruit’s ripening stage.
I don’t know this as a fact, but it made common sense. We are dealing with a live fruit, known for emitting sulphuric gas, energy of some sort. Frozen durians arrive with almost no smell. It only comes alive as it defrosts.
18 months of trading frozen imported durian and Australian fresh durian, I continue to learn more. Every single durian was an experience - regardless fresh or frozen, or country of origin.
Fresh was always best, in my books. Frozen catered to a craving. But fresh is the real deal - a full sensory experience of nature’s freak king.
So when Durian King Australia gave The Thorny Fruit Co the opportunity to bring their fresh chilled AA-grade Musang King, I jumped at the chance.
There were two key experience I was expecting - the popular bittersweet alcoholic hit flavour profile, and the C02 fizz.
I definitely got that on my first bite into the creamy golden pulp. And it’s growing on me - more so when the Musang King is at room temperature. I got it now - fresh Musang King is the way to go for the full flavour palate experience. It was definitely the most pungent durian I’ve tasted in Australia.
As for the contentious C02 fizziness, I had presumed its interaction with the dry ice in the shipping esky has heightened its atmospheric content. Tightly sealed, the fresh durian pulp could not breathe.
I stood corrected. The C02 fizziness was the durians fermenting. Malaysian durians are tree-dropped and enjoyed for its pungent ripeness. So it’s no surprise this fresh chilled durian is alive, still ripening during shipment. Without its husk, the pulp ripens at a different rate. Hence the production of C02 in reaction to the cold.
That fizzy pulp seem to be the bane of customers’ palate - for those used to frozen durians, and pre-aired fresh pulp. But you know what, I reckon the fizz is a good indicator that your durians are freshly chilled never frozen. It wouldn’t be alive if it was snap frozen. You know, like kombucha,
And if you don’t like the fizz, just air your pulp to room temperature (36°C). Might take 10-40mins or more depending on how long it’s been chilled.
]]>Please don’t get cheated. I know durians are a premium, because I sell them. Life is too short to be cheated with cheap, mushy
The standout for identifying fresh durians is through the seed. When you cut open a fresh durian seed, you should be able to see the white endosperm in a solid texture.
A previously frozen durian pulp would contain a jelly-like, translucent endosperm. Even if you didn’t cut one open, you can squeeze a defrosted durian seed and feel like it’s squishy. Whilst a fresh seed, uncut, should feel hard and “full”.
In the case of a fresh Musang King, their flat aborted seed cut open would typically reveal an empty shell. Meaning, there’s no endosperm - no food for the embryo. However, the layer that you can see in a cross section of a frozen defrosted seed would start to look transluscent, or even darken.
This is why frozen seeds, and the signature aborted Musang King seeds will not germinate (read: grow into a plant).
WATCH OUR VIDEO
PART 1 How to Identify Fresh vs Frozen Durian - https://www.instagram.com/tv/CC7cqTkDBOq/
PART 2 How to Identify Fresh cs Frozen Durian - https://www.instagram.com/tv/CC7d6lcDZGW/
]]>Every single durian species and registered and unregistered variety has their own external traits. The Musang King D197 is identified by the shape of its flat pyramid-like thorns, and the star on its bum. Some people have been cheated by unscrupulous durian traders in Malaysia who could easily give you the wrong (cheaper) durian, if you don’t know how to ID them.
How do you identify a HEW1 durian?
The HEW1 has a distinct broad convex pyramid thorn shape, with a brown tip. The overall shell colour is a moss green shade, while its shape is generally a filled out ovoid - unless it’s a “sleeping cat” (kuching tidur) shape - or not fully pollinated.
The HEW1 aroma has a strong bittersweet pungency, which you can smell just holding the whole durian up close to your nose. Its stem has a medium thickness and about 3-5cm long.
Once opened, the HEW1 pulp will greet you with its turmeric yellow colour. Its pulp skin is firm, holding a usually creamy, fatty sweet custard centre, and a bittersweet aftertaste. And if you notice the width of the husk, it is usually about 1-2cm thick.
What if you don’t see any fresh Australian Darwin durian with this trait? Then it’s not a HEW1. It could be a HEW2, HEW4, HEW5, D24 seedling, TPP seedling tree no 13426628...
About Tropical Primary Products’ durians
The Siah family have over 3,000 trees in their durian orchard. They’ve spent the last 30 years breeding and grafting, through trial and error, the many budwood, clones or seedlings to withstand the Northern Territory climate.
They brought the HEW1 from their family nursery in Semenyih, Malaysia legally to Australia on an agricultural visa, and have it registered. Among the HEW1, they have also legally brought into Australia many other popular Malaysian clones like the D24, HEW2, HEW4, HEW5, and many other Kampung or popular clone varieties.
Hence the TPP Australian durians are not all HEW1s.
Is Australia’s Kangaroo King comparable to Malaysia’s Musang King?
Durian trees thrive on a consistent hot and humid tropical climate. Malaysia averages 2,500mm rainfall, with a 88% humidity a year. It’s daily temperature ranges between 25-30C all year round.
The Northern Territory averages 1,649mm rainfall, 56% humidity. This year during the durian flowering season, Darwin only received 31.4mm rainfall. This year, the lowest temperature was 4.8C during winter, with a mean temp of 13.7C. Durian trees will usually die from stresss from temps below 13C.
Non-commercial mature fruiting durian trees produce good fruit the older the trees. The Musang King D197 or Raja Kunyit is cloned to produce commercial fruit as a young tree.
In Malaysia, pollinators are mainly bats. Durian trees are usually naturally cross-pollinated by native flowers or surrounding other durian flower varieties.
In Darwin, pollinators are bees and other local insects. Cross pollination is dependant on what native Australian flowers and durian flowers surround them.
Therefore, every durian will become a snapshot of flavour from its surrounding climate, soil, and natural flower pollination during its flowering period.
So the next time you choose to savour a durian by TPP, whether a HEW1 or otherwise, remember you’re having a taste of Darwin.
e.g. When a farmer sends down 100kg lychees to sell in Sydney, he will not know the price until the stock arrives at his agent’s warehouse. The moment trade begins, the agent will assess if there is plenty of stock of mangoes at the market, or if its scarce.
Plentiful supply of lychees (doesn’t matter variety) means there will be bargaining by the greengrocers and retailers over price per kg. Agents will have to negotiate order quantity and pricing.
Scarce/limited supply and high demand, agents will provide a premium pricing to benefit farmers.
Early season produce will always be high regardless of quality and variety. Unless the farmer has a well known reputation, of course.
Case in point, these early season lychees are retailing $45/kg. Wholesale would probably be in the low $40+/kg or high $30+/kg.
This is why I will not know pricing of new produce until I meet the supplier. The farmers do NOT determine the price of goods. They can only indicate their cost and upwards price per kg desired.
Even then, the price the next day can drop considerably, if they are still holding stock for the farmer.
So if you compare some of my pricing to the supermarkets like Coles & Woolies - they have bigger buying power than I do. They will/can bring pricing down for themselves.
Comparison with greengrocers are more likely to be similar, as they don’t buy as high volume. However, if consumers don’t buy mangoes on day 1 of arrival... and it’s still there by day 6, ripening... pricing drops because they need to get rid of stock. I will do the same if I have excess I can’t sell. But more often when possible, I will usually buy fresh on arrival and a Class/Grade available to most premium grocers.
]]>The Australian Durian season has begun again. With the first box having arrived in Sydney on Monday, I'm reminiscing to this time last year was when the seed of The Thorny Fruit Co was planted. I can't believe it's been a year since I first had a whiff of the Australian durians. I recall chasing durians in Cabramatta with a friend, her daughter and my then 4 month old baby in tow.
We bought two durians. The first one was a disappointment. We were sold on the fact that it was the last three fruit left, and we didn't want to miss out. We opened to taste it almost immediately, barely walking 1m away from the first shop. It was wet, mushy and tasteless. The arils were tiny. It was a small sized fruit with large broad thorns. The sulphuric scent of a fresh durian was undeniable. The let down from the taste was evident among the three of us.
When we walked around the corner to another fruit shop, there were more. Undeterred, we picked out another one more at this second shop, and headed back to my friend's home.
We sat with mixed feelings about having spent almost AUD$100 on these two durians. As Malaysian migrants, it was tough to get past the dollar conversion value of this coveted fruit. But for my friend and I - who don't get to travel back to Malaysia much - having a taste of fresh durians on our new home soil in Sydney had a evoked a sense nostalgia.
We opened the thick husk of this green thorny fruit, in anticipation against another round of disappointment. What appeared was a full-shaped bright sunshine yellow pulp, clinging on to its nest of white. This durian was different.
When I bit into the firm, yet creamy pulp - the aroma lingered and triggered memories. The taste reminded me of my dad's favourite D24. It's delightful sweetness with a bittersweet aftertaste was soul-satisfying. I could not remember when was the last time I had fresh durian. I moved here over a decade ago.
My friend, who had been living in Australia for three decades absolutely delighted in the experience, and earthy taste of this durian. She said it reminded her of durian kampung. Farmed clones or fancy names didn't need to appeal to the village-folk back in Malaysia. When you come across a century old durian tree growing in your backyard, you learn to appreciate nature for what it is - a gift.
The experience of these durian varieties growing in Australia left me curious. I began to do some Googling. Trawling Facebook on where these durians were coming from. When I found Tropical Primary Products' Facebook page, I noticed that they were only promoting what they called the HEW1 variety.
I messaged the page, asking them about this variety and how I could pick it from the pile of other Australian durians in Cabramatta.
Han Shiong amusedly put me through a "guess the durian" quiz with photos. I learnt to spot the difference with its overall fruit shape, thorn size, weight, smell and feel. Then I put myself through the test - headed to Cabramatta to try once more.
I got it right! Another amazing tasting bittersweet durian.
But the whole experience got me wondering why the greengrocers didn't separate the HEW1 from the others. So I asked Han if I could buy the HEW1 durians on its own from Sydney Markets. He said I could, if I wanted to eat 20kg durians.
I took to Facebook and gathered a few friends, asking if they wanted to share a box. A box became 200kg... and another 250kg worth... in two trips. Friends of friends in a Facebook Group were overly excited about tasting fresh, not frozen, durians - and curious about the Australian durian experience.
Their excitement got hold of me. Han planted the idea that I could do this as a business. Hah. As if.
12 months later. Here I am. Waiting to get my hands on this season's fresh durian once again.
Only, there won’t be as many HEW1 durians due to the drought. This year’s adventure will be with the other mixed bag of durian varieties from their farm.
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