Grounded Airline Pilot Turned Durian Seller Looks Like Taiwanese Star Nicky Wu

Johnny Tan, possibly the most dashing Singaporean durian seller 8days.sg has ever clapped eyes on, is talking a mile a minute while his phone goes ping! ping! ping! in the background during our interview.

“I’m sorry, you can hear how many orders we have. Once this interview is over, I have to key in 40 to 50 orders into the system,” he says. “We’re looking into an online platform now, because we just can’t cope.”

Dude sounds stressed, but the good news is: the two-week-old durian delivery business he started with three friends and fellow airline captains has taken off in spectacular fashion amid the season. The aptly-named Durian Pilots now sells 150 boxes of the spiky fruit a day – the equivalent of 300 kilos – with service to rival an SQ girl’s.

All photos cannot be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg

The strapping 48-year-old father of two teens does circuit training two to three times a week to maintain his youthful appearance. In fact, Johnny bears more than just a passing resemblance to Taiwanese singer and actor, Nicky Wu (left in pic) – something friends and family have also told him. He was even approached to attend a casting call for an advertisement, he admits, but unfortunately wasn’t chosen. If he ever decided to quit flying and selling durians, he could perhaps consider a career in showbiz.

Has he been hit on as a pilot and/or durian seller? “What do you think?” he asks coyly before gleefully adding: “[by] men, too.”

But we digress. Johnny works for a Chinese carrier while the rest of the crew on this ship (er, plane) are China Southern Airlines pilot Low Guan Seng, 52, and pilots of a local airline, Alvin Tan, 53, and Cooper Lim, 36, all of whom are also married with kids.

Alvin and Cooper, who fly “about once or twice a month”, declined to be photographed due to confidentiality clauses in their work contracts, while Guan Seng couldn’t make it for this shoot.

Selling the durians, however, was Johnny’s idea. The entrepreneurial poly grad met Alvin and Guan Seng as air force regulars, and Cooper at a former job in Australian budget carrier Jetstar. At first, his three friends helped out in the biz for free, but later became partners, citing uncertainty when large-scale travel – and their jobs – will return for good. When flying resumes, they say they will keep Durian Pilots going by hiring staff to run the biz.

“It’s a rough and tough job not many people are willing to do,” says Johnny. “All of us get injured every day from the thorns and sometimes the knives. But we don’t mind, we find it fun and challenging. We are not afraid of hardship,” he shares.

Johnny, who was based in China for over three years, returned on Feb 1 after being placed on no-pay leave indefinitely. Subsequently, he had various stints – including as a deliveryman and Covid-19 contact tracer – before landing on the durian biz after being introduced to a Malaysian fruit supplier, though he now gets his goods elsewhere for better consistency. The other pilots also worked gigs, including driving taxis.

With an initial $500 investment, Johnny bought the fruits, and simple tools like weighing scales and knives, from durian sellers who taught him how to choose and open the husks.

His wife and kids are fully supportive of this unusual pivot. “Covid or not, people still eat durians,” he explains. The biz used to offer D13 and Jin Feng varieties from Johor Bahru, but now solely imports Mao Shan Wang from Pahang.

The four captains have divvied up their roles: Johnny does marketing, Guan Seng – whose family used to own a durian plantation – does accounts, Alvin does logistics and Cooper tackles operations.

Want to meet the captains? You’ll have to forgo delivery – which is done by Lalamove – and opt for self pickup. One of the four guys will meet you in the lobby of their Kaki Bukit factory space.

The biz officially launched on July 2. The four men started out by selling the pungent delicacy to friends and former colleagues.

“I first broadcast a Whatsapp message to over 100 friends. It took a lot of courage to press ‘send’,” admits Johnny. “People replied: Huh? You’re selling durians now?

But the support was overwhelming, and the biz sold 300 kilos of durian on its very first night. Through word of mouth, it now has a customer base of around 500 people, with the largest single order being 30 boxes.

Buyers can submit their order through Facebook, WhatsApp, or Instagram. Orders close once the biz hits 80 percent of its daily durian supply, as 20 percent of the lowest quality fruits are usually discarded.

Supplies arrive from Malaysia daily at around 6pm or 7pm. The men then spend three to four hours daily dehusking and packing it all for delivery – the latest they’ve worked is till 11.30pm.

At present, they’re earning enough to make ends meet, shares Johnny.

So why buy durians from four pilots when you could hoof it down to your trusty neighbourhood stall? The answer: premium, “airline-level” customer service, says Johnny.

As part of the attentive service, customers can request for fruits that are more bitter, sweet, wet or dry. If there’s a complaint, the towkays pack extra in the customer’s subsequent order as a little gesture. They also update customers when deliveries are late – often due to weather, traffic, or customs hold-ups at the border.

“We try to satisfy [customers]. It’s very tiring, but this is what customer service is all about,” Johnny says. “If you try making requests at normal durian shops, the people there will just glare at you.”

On social media, the biz broadcasts updates on stock in the same style as in-flight announcements.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking, kindly place your order for your dessert tonight,” reads one message. Or another: “The in-flight menu is served, please contact us with your preferred choice.” Gimmicky? We think it’s actually quite cute.

’Tis the season for Pahang MSW, so two boxes of Musang King arrive at our doorstep, packed in vacuum-sealed plastic boxes adorned with a cartoon pilot sticker. Each box contains about 500g of durian flesh and seeds – the equivalent of a whole 2kg fruit. The stuff from Pahang is punchier and denser than Mao Shan Wang from JB, Johnny says. “This is good stuff,” the delivery guy assures us through the gate. Guess he’s tried some already.

The fruit we get is a gorgeous deep honey-gold hue, and unleashes a potent sweet fragrance. And it lives up to its good looks: both boxes contain some of the best durian we’ve ever had. Every fat, meaty wedge is 90 percent flesh, with small and flat seeds, as is typical of the Pahang varietal. The creamy flesh is everything a model MSW should be: rich, buttery and custardy, without a trace of wateriness. There’s also that refined, intense bittersweetness that connoisseurs adore, though the fruit in one box is noticeably ‘boozier’ than the other. Shiok.

Apart from durian a la carte, there’s the $114 Economy Class bundle, with two 500g packs of MSW and a pack of 500g Pahang XO durian. The $224 Business Class bundle comprises four packs of MSW and two packs of XO. These packages are available from July 20 to 26.

Durian Pilots is at #09-61, Block 10 Kaki Bukit Ave 4, S415874. Order via Facebook and Instagram, or WhatsApp 88498738. Delivery fee at $10; free for orders above $120. Self collection available.

All photos cannot be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg

Photos: Kelvin Chia