Thailand remains the world’s largest durian exporter, with a dominant presence in the Chinese market. But in recent years, price fluctuations and safety concerns driven by new export inspection regulations have brought attention to a group of unsung heroes—durian inspectors working on the front lines, from orchards to packing plants. They play a crucial role in maintaining Thailand’s global competitiveness in durian exports.

35-year-old Bou holds a small wooden mallet in his hand. He works as a durian inspector at a processing facility. He uses the mallet to tap on the durian shell and assess ripeness. “Any durians that don’t meet the standards must be removed. The workers who picked them will be penalized,” Bou says.

Inspecting a full crate of durians takes about three minutes. Using their wooden mallets, durian inspectors must quickly identify and remove any substandard fruit. At peak times, one inspector can screen up to 500 containers of durians. Their monthly salary reportedly reaches 10,000 RMB (about USD 1,400), which is considered high by Southeast Asian standards.

It may look simple, but durian inspection is highly skilled work, and it comes with the highest pay in the factory. Bou says he earns about 10,000 RMB a month, enough to afford a one-bedroom apartment in downtown Bangkok after just three years of work.

However, the job is far from easy. Inspectors work over ten hours a day and must constantly be on guard against being pricked by the fruit’s sharp thorns. Still, many endure the demands because the generous pay means they can afford a small apartment in Bangkok in just a few years. On China’s Tmall supermarket, nearly 100,000 of these durians can be sold in a single minute.

Each crate of Monthong durians takes no more than three minutes to be packed and sealed. Due to their short shelf life, the durians must be loaded and shipped before dawn, delivered through Cainiao Logistics to Tmall, and finally into the hands of eager Chinese consumers.

At 11 p.m., lights blaze in a Monthong durian packing facility in Chanthaburi, Thailand. Workers are busy weighing and packaging over 20 tons of freshly harvested durians.