DSR Taiko Berhad (DSR), Malaysia’s first integrated durian specialist is embarking on its international expansion by bringing the homegrown Musang King Durian specialities to the global stage, starting with 15 countries in early 2022. Going under the D.MasKing brand, DSR will distribute its in-house developed durian specialities to these countries including China, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Indonesia, Singapore and South Africa, through its Daily Fresh outlets. This long-term strategic plan was highlighted during the launching of D.Masking’s second flagship store in Lot 10, Bukit Bintang.
DSR is a fully integrated orchard-to-market durian player with extensive knowledge in upstream orchard management. The Company’s dynamic capabilities are the testament of its strategic alliance with Daily Fresh’s know-how in product development, state-of-the-art facilities as well as wide distribution networks which enable them to grow their business to the next level.
Dato’ Arham Abdul Rahman, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), expressed, “One of MIDA’s ethos is to be an effective conduit for product development efforts by Malaysian companies, starting from seeding their research and development (R&D) right up to spurring commercialisation and marketing reach in the domestic and international markets. MIDA via the Domestic Investment Coordination Platform (DICP) has successfully assisted many SMEs and local businesses including DSR to pursue their business plans by providing the missing link between businesses, funding, technology and research capability. We are proud to play a role in facilitating an all-win scenario that would be the pride of the nation.”
During the launch, DSR has also exchanged a Project Agreement with SIRIM Tech Venture, a subsidiary of SIRIM Berhad, to develop SIRIM industry standards on Musang King, one of the most popular breeds of durian via Musang King Integrated Tracking System ( MKITS) for the product traceability enhancement. Further to that, the development of the system would involve various entities such as PERKESO and University Research Centres, and upon completion will be used as the ‘gold’ standard for the industry. The collaboration is expected to spur job creation as well as develop new skillsets in agriculture best practices. DSR anticipates leveraging the incentives available to provide on-the-job training for employees to encourage new knowledge creation.
Dato’ Dr Ahmad Sabirin Arshad, President and Group Chief Executive of SIRIM Berhad, commented, “Establishing a quality standard for agriculture facilitates three important steps for future industry development, by setting a baseline, enabling product quality enhancements in a meaningful and quantifiable manner, and replicating the system to scale up the operations.”
“We are pleased to pioneer this standard for Musang King in partnership with DSR to raise the industry benchmarks for Musang King plantations in Malaysia. I believe this would also advocate sustainable agriculture practices, by inculcating a discipline in plantation owners to utilise responsible farming methods towards achieving steady growth in the coming years,” added Dato’ Dr Ahmad Sabirin.
Dato’ Ng Lian Poh, Chief Executive Officer of DSR Taiko Berhad remarked, “Thus far, the durian industry has mostly exported durian fruits. DSR is now taking it a step further to enhance fresh durians’ added value by developing unique speciality products. We are grateful to collaborate with key government agencies to bring Malaysia’s distinctive taste to the world. With the support of MIDA, we are aggressively undertaking R&D and opening up new overseas markets via Daily Fresh’s existing outlets to entice global palates. This would help us tap into the potential of the immense downstream durian products market.”
“In addition, our partnership with SIRIM Tech Venture will enable us to develop a holistic orchards-to-consumer (O2C) business solution to develop inaugural industry standards for Musang King durians, as well as Musang King Integrated Tracking Systems (MKITS) to enhance product traceability. This is in line with our motto where ‘Origin Matters’ and is a perfect public and private partnership to raise the standards of the durian plantation industry to authenticate the Malaysian – made king of fruits.”
Dato’ Ng concluded, “This journey that we are embarking on will be a long one — akin to the duration a durian tree takes to grow – but we are looking forward to making this particular king of fruits species the pride of Malaysia across the world. We are confident that this growth in the agriculture industry will continue to boost the nation’s economy.”
DSR’s new store would offer speciality durian products such as durian pizza, durian truffle popcorn, Musang King gelato, as well as Musang King gelato filled confectionery in croissants, puffs, waffles and tarts. To further enhance its global appeal, the Company will also participate in the World Expo
2020 which is tentatively scheduled to be held in Dubai in February 2022 to showcase its downstream durian products internationally. DSR also aims to increase the coverage to more than 300 Daily Fresh outlets nationwide in 2022.
Present at the launch were Dato’ Arham Abdul Rahman, CEO of MIDA, Dato’ Dr Ahmad Sabirin, Group President and Chief Executive of SIRIM Berhad, Ajmain Bin Kasim, CEO of SIRIM Technology Sdn Bhd, Ng Soh Kian, Executive Chairman of DSR, Dato’ Ng Lian Poh, CEO of DSR and Chay Hong Choong, Managing Director of Daily Fresh Foods Group.
