Third-generation Ah Seng Durian Stall holds on to traditional fruit trading as modern fruit chains dominate Kuala Lumpur’s market

By Liu Yu Tong 1002580379, Chen Fei 1002580998, Fan Shi Wei Hao 1002580857, Jiang Jia Zheng 1002580943, Liu Jia Hong 1002580884 REPRESENT Student Reporter | Kuala Lumpur

Founded in 1982 | Seasonal local durian retail | Three-generation family fruit business

KUALA LUMPUR, June 27 – Along the roadside of Taman Taynton View, during the off-season for durians, Ah Seng Durian Stall is still busy sorting, cracking and selling durians every day from dawn to dusk, releasing a strong and characteristic fragrance.
In 1982, the grandfather of the current owner started this roadside durian stall, and now it is run by his third-generation heir. Although stylish new fruit supermarkets and online fruit delivery platforms have won the hearts of young people with their neat packaging and discounted bundles, Ah Seng Durian has still maintained a loyal group of regular customers who are in search of the original taste of local durian from their childhood.

Ah Seng Durian Stall, a family fruit stall established in 1982, operates year-round during durian season in Taman Taynton View, Kuala Lumpur.

The third-generation owner of the stall does not need to earn a living through it. He grew up seeing his parents carry heavy, thorny durians; he knew when they were ripe by smell and touch, and he listened to longtime customers share their lives over plates of durian. All the trading tips and selection skills passed down have unique family and neighbourhood stories.

“I grew up helping my parents shift durians every season. When I finished school, I chose to carry on this family trade instead of office work.”

Rows of durian varieties are shown on the wooden racks and in baskets. The Space is small and plain, but every piece of fruit has been worked with over the past 44 years, inherited by hand, and is loved by regular customers. Stall has classic local durian varieties that most fruit shops do not carry.

Assorted Musang King, D24 and local kampung durians are stacked neatly for customers to pick and inspect on-site.

CHANGING WITHOUT LOSING CORE VALUES

In 2020, a pandemic caused a halt in business development at the studio. Before the movement restrictions, most of the income came from bulk wholesale supply to market resellers. After the wholesale order disappeared overnight, the team began to organise walk-in retail buyers and started holding pre-order live-stream sales on social media for door-to-door delivery.

Fresh durians are unloaded from a pickup truck, showing the physical supply process behind the stall’s daily operation.

The new digital upgrades have brought more online users, but the owner wishes to keep the original character of the stall. Experienced people hand-select every durian; it is not graded by a large-scale machine. Factory-sorted durians have the same taste, and hand-picked fruit is more colourful and varied in shape. Long-time customers do not buy fruit from this place; rather, the durian feasts organized by the stall are associated with school holidays, family reunions, and other times.

This small roadside stall can pass on some of the local seasonal food culture before the traditional family vendors go. Old newspaper cuttings of the stall hang on the wall, showing that it has been known by the local community for decades without large-scale commercial branding.

KEEPING SEASONAL HERITAGE ALIVE

After more than forty years, Ah Seng Durian Stall still thrives in the modern commercial market for seasonal fruits. For new online customers, the stall will introduce them to the people behind the durian-online-order system. Looking ahead, the family hopes that younger Malaysians will continue to appreciate the authentic local durian culture passed down by generations.

A neon durian sign marks the stall’s identity and helps customers find the business in a busy local food area.