China’s growing appetite for durian spurs market innovations
A Shenzhen restaurant has gone viral online after launching a 199-yuan-a-head buffet featuring more than 200 durian dishes
China’s middle class consumers have been tightening their purse strings, but their appetite for durian – pungent, spiky fruit mostly imported from Southeast Asia – continues to grow.
In Chinese cities, durians have transcended their status as a fruit to become a fashionable choice for young consumers. The catering sector has responded with “everything can be + durian” promotions that have spawned a proliferation of durian-themed restaurants with offerings ranging from drinks and desserts to hotpots and buffets.
On Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, topics such as “durian barbecue” and “durian buffet” have amassed more than 1.24 billion views.
One brand in Guangdong province that specialises in durian chicken hotpots has sold more than 2.22 million of them, and its durian burger has gained widespread attention on social media.
A durian buffet restaurant in Shenzhen, Guangdong, went viral online recently when it offered diners their choice of more than 200 dishes featuring Malaysian durian – including porridge, pancakes and cakes – for 199 yuan (US$27.39) a head.
The Chinese market consumes over 90 per cent of the world’s durian supply, with imports surging from 430,000 tonnes, worth US$1.1 billion, in 2018 to 1.38 million tonnes, valued at US$6.2 billion, from January to September this year, according to official data.
Durians are “sweet and greasy and easy to fill up on, and it’s hard to eat 199 yuan worth, but my friends and I are eager to try,” said Su Yuru, a white-collar worker in Shenzhen.
“I often buy a durian to share with my family on weekends, usually priced at about 150 yuan, and durian is also a regular at local companies’ afternoon teas and annual parties for their employees.”
Despite the surge in imports, less than one in 100 Chinese have tasted durian, and the enormous market potential is driving more Southeast Asian countries to jump into the competition, according to a report by the Beijing-based consultancy Guanyan Tianxia.