Even durian is joining the e-commerce bandwagon.
Durian lovers will know full well the struggle of getting hold of your favourite fruit when the craving strikes – since this king of fruits is now banned on all forms of public transport. Trekking down all the way to the busy streets of Geylang or Balestier to lug home the loots just doesn’t seem to make sense because even then, you’ll think twice about the death stares the Grab drivers will give on the ride back if they’re not fans of the smell.
But now that durian sellers are going online, this pungent fruit can now be delivered fresh and chilled to your doorstep, at the click of a button. They are now following the likes of Foodpanda, Honestbee and RedMart who are allowing us to save trips to the stores. Durian sellers are now listing their products on Qoo10, Facebook, online websites and even creating an app solely to drive their digital growth. Here, we bring you 5 players in the durian delivery business, so your cravings can be fulfilled.
Just Durian
With a visually appealing and user-friendly website, they tout themselves as the best durian delivery service in Singapore. Using only the best premium grade of durians from their Malaysian plantation, they are your guys if you ever need a personal order.
You basically fill up their order form, and the team will get back to you with a thorough background on their fruit such as the day it was harvested. They promise an expedited delivery so you can still taste its freshness. What sets them apart is the attention to detail when it comes to their products, evident in their mission to make you understand the harvesting process. There’s even a live chat option if you don’t feel secure using just the website alone!
Jojo Durian
Their online website is dedicated solely to the durian delivery business, aiming to provide convenience to their consumers. Definitely the poshest looking delivery service of the lot, they deliver from an unnamed but apparently famous Sims Avenue store with Malaysian and Thai durians, setting them apart from its competitors.
Jojo Durian sells them dehusked and wrapped neatly in their beautiful packaging, with 2 packets of coconut water, hand gloves and tissue paper. Service that’s better than at the shops? We’re in. The only downside is their limited varieties of durians – which means you just take what you can get.
Durian Garden
With over 3,000 followers on Facebook, Durian Garden was started by durian lover Melvin Chua. Their online website is big on snarky Singaporean humour ( see their “How Come” and “Really Meh” section), which we aren’t complaining about.
Their offerings include Mao Shan Wang ($18/kg), Golden Phoenix ($16/kg) and D13, D101, Red Prawn all at $10/kg for deliveries right to your doorstep. You might need to check their site for availability since the availability of durians can be limited depending on the seasons. Bonus points for giving us the option of having the durians delivered either as a whole fruit or in a box at no extra cost.
227 Katong Durian
Familiar? That’s because they are run by the guys behind the already famous 227 Katong Durian store at East Coast Road. They carry 9 varieties of durians alongside a generous offering of various fruits to spice up your at-home durian buffet, most of them we’ve never heard of. The 9 are Kampong, Red Prawn, D13, D24, Green Bamboo, XO, Black Pearl, Golden Phoenix and Mao Shan Wang.
If you want to have more than a 1 person feasting fiesta, you can request for a durian set to be delivered and set-up right at your doorstep for family and friends to join in the fun. You’ll need to order over $120 or there will be a $30 delivery charge. They have the weakest online delivery game, probably cos’ they are already famous; but their site doesn’t have online ordering during the peak durian season and orders during that time can only be arranged via a phone call.
While this service is definitely life-changing, it has not captured the hearts of all durian lovers. Skeptics are worried about the quality of the produce delivered – since you can’t return it the way you return merchandise bought at the shop.
