These days, there are plenty of home-based businesses offering matcha, bakes and meals — but have you ever come across one selling durian?
Run by 35-year-old property agent Alex Chua, Bao Jiak Durian does exactly that — serving up the king of fruits from a semi-detached house belonging to his parents at Riverina View in Pasir Ris.
While the business is now run as a home-based model, it actually started years ago as a brick-and-mortar store in Ang Mo Kio.
“When Covid-19 came, we had to shutter it because the existing landlord’s business failed during the pandemic, so they closed down and we had to close down [too],” Alex told AsiaOne in an interview on July 1.
That was when he decided to approach the relevant authorities to check whether he could operate the business from home, to which he got a green light, he said.
Despite operating from home, Alex said that he “surprisingly” has yet to receive complaints about the distinctive smell of durian.
“I think you do smell it, but it’s not overpowering or overwhelming,” he added.
A safe space for durian lovers
But why durian?
According to Alex, the business was born out of his own love for the fruit — which he admitted to eating every day, during all three meals.
Thinking back on his own experience as a customer, the 35-year-old shared that the experience of buying durian always felt rushed.
“I couldn’t find a place that I could comfortably buy durian and have a chat about what I’m getting,” he said, adding that he wasn’t able to enquire more about what he was buying as the sellers were usually “rushing” to open durians and sell them.
These experiences ultimately inspired him to start the business and create a specialised space for like-minded durian lovers.
“I realised there are people that really want to know more in-depth [information] about their durian,” said Alex.
Business challenges
But running a home-based durian business isn’t so easy.
One of the main difficulties, Alex told us, is managing customers’ expectations — as the quality of a durian cannot be determined based on its appearance alone.
“I can be very honest with you, there is only so much that I am able to gauge based on looks. Eating is still the best [way],” the realtor explained.
He estimates that a durian’s exterior only allows him to gauge approximately 60 to 70 per cent of a durian’s quality. The rest only becomes apparent once it’s consumed.
As a result, there have been occasions where customers may not be fully satisfied, requiring him to “service recover” by ensuring them that he would try to “hit the 100 per cent mark” next time.
“There will definitely be good and bad [feedback]. About 90 per cent is good, but there are about 10 per cent of customers who would say that the taste wasn’t what they were looking for,” he said.
Another challenge comes in the form of coordinating courier services.
Bao Jiak Durian receives their supply daily from a Malaysian supplier, and the process of consolidating the durians, picking up the durians, delivering it to the Pasir Ris home, before getting it to the customers who have ordered them, requires time and planning.
“Imagine if you’re the one receiving the durian. They would always feel like once they buy them, they want it straight away. So I have to let them know that it takes time,” he explained, noting that the delivery usually takes approximately two hours.
Good pickings
The hard work however, does pay off.
According to Alex, Bao Jiak Durian can fetch anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000 in revenue each season.
Operating from home also helps keep costs manageable — with the realtor estimating that he spends less than $5,000 each month to maintain the business.
His earnings as a property agent and durian seller are “about the same”, he told us.
In fact, selling durians was what opened the door to the realtor role for Alex.
“While I was selling durian, I got to know my [current] boss, who is from property, so I pivot over,” he said, adding that he had worked as an insurance agent previously, after graduating from polytechnic with a diploma in optometry.
Despite the durian home-based business’ success, Alex still hopes to pivot back to a storefront some day — for the sake of his customers, who have “all become his friends”.
“I would definitely want to have a shop, because it is more convenient for people to sit down by the tents and all that. It’s a more proper setting compared to home-based,” he said, explaining that space constraints in the current location did not allow customers to enjoy the durians on the spot, unless they were willing to “stand around”.
Still, he acknowledges that making a move back to a physical store would not be easy.
“It’s very hard to get a nice place with nice overhead, because honestly, the overheads are killing a lot of businesses,” he said.
Address: 19 Riverina View, Singapore 518371
Opening hours: 2pm to 8pm daily
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carol.ong@asiaone.com
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