Durian season is in full swing now, and more stalls are popping up hawking the king of fruits. One such seller is Pegan Teo, 45, who previously sold durians for two years at Geylang stall KO Durian before branching out to start his own stall called Duke Durian.

As he’s friends with a kopitiam operator, Pegan fortuitously secured a vacated unit in an industrial canteen at Sin Ming Drive. “The lunch crowd there is very good, and people can also drive through to pick up their durians,” he says.

Pegan currently imports mainly cultivars like Pahang Mao Shan Wang, Tekka, XO, Red Prawn and D13 durians from Malaysia. He also offers customers the dine-in option of enjoying their durians on the spot at the kopitiam. He had intended to open on July 21, 2021. But his plan was scuppered when the government announced a reinstatement of Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) on July 22.

However, he reckons he will be focusing on delivery and drive-through orders. “I’m not really looking at walk-in customers as this is an industrial area, though it’s easier for social distancing,” he says.

There’s a minimum order of $80 for deliveries, with free islandwide delivery for orders above $120 ($8 for orders below that).

Pegan, who’s also a classic car collector, sometimes uses his red-and-white $15,000 modified Suzuki Every van to make deliveries. But he quips, “This fellow can only go to nearby neighbourhoods. You want to take it further, vomit blood!”

He plans to sell durians at the stall till September, after which he will convert it to an off-season “izakaya selling affordable yakitori at $1.20 a stick and craft beer”. Other than durians, Pegan also co-owned a defunct Japanese restaurant (which he declined to name), and currently runs an online alcohol delivery business.

The prices at Duke Durian fluctuate day to day according to supply. But for now, Pegan is selling Pahang AA Musang King at $45 for a 500g box, Super XO at $25 for a 500g box, Tekka at $16/kg, and a varietal called HBD13 ($11/kg), which he calls a “stickier version” of the D13.

When there’s available supply, he also has $18 per box Mao Shan Wang durians which he calls “the midland type” (read: don’t expect the top-grade stuff). Each box will weigh “at least 300g”.

Pegan is also planning to offer $8, $10 and $12 packs of durians at his stall. “The people working around here are lower wage workers, and they may not buy a $45 fruit,” he reasons.

There’s also value-for-money sets starting from a two-pax Set A ($70) with a 500g box each of Mao Shan Wang and Red Prawn or XO.

Check out the selection below:

Address: 36 Sin Ming Drive, S575710

Tel: 9339-3290 (WhatsApp)

Opening hours: Open daily 12pm to 12am

Photos: Kelvin Chia/ Pegan Teo