Malaysia’s TRL brings Musang King durian and other exotic fruits to global market
Company, specialising in fresh tropical produce, sources its products from joint-venture partner farms in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand
What started out as a side venture of sending fresh durian to Hong Kong by three friends of banking and investment background has now grown to a global enterprise. While providing consumers worldwide access to fresh and delicious tropical produce, TRL is also helping Southeast Asian farmers reap sizeable profits from their crops.
Harvested only seasonally, Musang King durian, dubbed the “King of Durian”, will soon be bought in most supermarkets and enjoyed any time of the year, thanks to TRL’s latest nitrogen freezing facility.
The company’s product is already available at grocery shelves from New York and Madrid to Shanghai and Jakarta.
In fact, frozen durian and other frozen products such as paste/puree and pulp now account for 65 per cent of the company’s revenues.
Specialising in the exportation of fresh produce such as dragon fruit, soursop, mangosteen and sweet potato, TRL sources its products from joint-venture partner farms in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand. In Malaysia, the company Nicholas Loh founded five years ago has recorded vigorous growth as it holds strong to its principles of professionalism and honesty.
TRL’s foray into durian exportation began in Hong Kong, its second-largest market. “Around 65 per cent of our customers is from mainland China, while 15 per cent is from Hong Kong and Macau,” says Loh, who is also TRL’s managing director. “We are aggressively working to introduce our products to other markets as enquiries come in steadily.”
With demand for durian in China growing at about 15 per cent annually, TRL has started supplying to the country’s major supermarkets and food and beverage players. The company is also watching developments in the e-commerce space amid the continuously growing international appetite for local delicacies. TRL deals mostly with importers and distributors and welcomes business partnerships.
“We are seeking genuine partners that know the local market,” Loh says. “We also look for big-scale farmers with 40 to 100 hectares of land who can be long-term suppliers.”
