Durian lovers in China can now order Malaysia’s popular Musang King durians from Alibaba’s Hema Fresh stores. China’s Ambassador to Malaysia, H.E. Bai Tian, had recently managed to buy a frozen Musang King from one of the “New Retail” stores in Beijing.
His visit was shared on the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Malaysia Facebook page and it was mentioned that the Ambassador was a big promoter of Malaysian Durian. The Musang King Durian was wrapped in paper and plastic, and the 1.8kg fruit came from Exofruits Industry in Melaka.
Malaysia had started exporting frozen whole durians to China last month after it had received approval from the General Administration of Customs China. There are a total of five companies that were given the green light to export to China. Prior to this, Malaysia could only export durian in the form of frozen pulp and paste.
In case you’re wondering, Hema (aka FreshHippo) is Alibaba’s attempt to reinvent retail through a digital experience. The actual store is actually a fulfilment centre for online deliveries but it is also open to walk-in customers that prefer to pick their own fresh goods which include meat, fruits and seafood. Customers can place orders via the Hema app and pay directly via Alipay. For those who prefer to order online, Hema offers a guaranteed 30-minute delivery if you’re within a 3 km radius from a Hema store.
