DICKSON Tai grew up on a 5.6ha durian orchard started by his grandfather in Tiang Dua, Melaka.
Now, at just 22, Tai runs the family business.
The 35-year-old orchard has witnessed the youth’s journey from a child watching his grandfather and father tend the fruit trees, to managing the firm’s expansion.
“Some of the trees are older than me.`
“When my grandfather started the orchard, he perhaps never imagined it would be cared for by the third generation.
“From a young age, I watched my grandfather and father work.
“Eventually, I began learning and helping them,” he told Bernama during the Melaka Surreal Durian Experience 2026 programme organised by Tourism Malaysia Southern Region at Eco Do Bem Cafe & Durian Park in Bemban, Melaka.
The skills he acquired made him adept at identifying the different durian varieties as well as understanding the needs of the trees to produce good quality fruit.
Keeping the trees healthy requires tremendous patience, especially the management of root diseases, said Tai.
“Ordinary varieties like durian kahwin don’t require much care. Installing a support net is usually sufficient.
“But premium varieties like Musang King and Black Thorn require extra care.
“I look after them like my babies. Every day I talk to the trees, tell them stories,” he quipped.
Like any other business, running an orchard comes with its share of pressures and challenges, particularly when dealing with fruit quality, diseases, market conditions
and export matters.
“There are times when it feels quite overwhelming, but then I think about how my grandfather started it and my father continued it,” said Tai.
The orchard’s location near oil palm plantations also exposes it to human and animal trespass, particularly when the aroma of ripe durian fills the air.
According to Tai, the morning harvest during the fruiting season is almost one tonne.
The young entrepreneur has expanded the business into durian wholesaling and exports.
“In the past, we focused only on the trees and fruit.
“Now, other farmers in Melaka send their fruits to us and we handle the wholesale and export operations,” he said.
Today, durian from Tai’s family orchard and farms around Melaka are shipped to China, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and Indonesia.
Air freight to China takes about 18 hours, he said, while deliveries to Hong Kong require around 12 hours.
Tai hopes to take Melaka’s exclusive durian varieties global.
These include the limited-edition D103 (Mimpi Cinta) with its unique bittersweet flavour, and the prized D2 (Datuk Nina or Dream Lover) with its rich, sticky, bronze-orange flesh.
