A new-look Desaru Fruit Farm

My last visit to the Desaru Fruit Farm was in May 2019 for a tour experience with mum along with her sisters and their spouses, the pairs fondly known as The Seventies.

Facade of the fruit and souvenir shop at the
Desaru Fruit Farm designed with a new look

Since sharing my fruit farm experience in a Travel story, Tutti Frutti Moments, (NST Travel Times, May 2007), I have been back to the farm countless times with different groups and for various events.

After this piece was published in the Travel section with a nationwide distribution, I shared another piece, A Fruity Fun Time (NST, Johor Streets, October 2009), in the Southern section of the newspapers.

Then in conjunction with the Cuti-Cuti 1Malaysia Travel Fair, I wrote a feature that highlighted a range of attractions in Johor that included the Desaru Fruit Farm in, Plenty to see and do in Johor (NST, Johor Streets, April 2010).

Fast-forward to 2017 when I published a collection of Johor stories in my bestseller, My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich Heritage, with the support of MPH Publishing and Think City Johor Baru.

On the first week this book was launched, it went to Number One in the MPH Non-Fiction Bestsellers list and stayed on the list for weeks and months. At the end of the year, this title was counted among The Best of MPH in 2017.

The success of Book One led to the publication of its sequel, My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and Inspirational People.

The collection of Johor stories featured in Book Two of My Johor Stories included inspirational people and heritage traders not only in Johor Baru but also in Johor towns like Muar, Batu Pahat, Kluang, Kulai, Kelapa Sawit and Desaru.

To prepare the manuscript, I made road trips to meet with the subjects to let them share their stories with me.

Incidentally, all the subjects featured in Book Two were people whom I was already acquainted with from my own encounters with them – except for one.

Later I shared my travel adventures in, Building Bridges, (My Johor Stories, November 2018) and thanked the subjects for letting me document their family stories – many of them untold until then – now featured exclusively in my book.

The Er family who operates the Desaru Fruit Farm, were among the subjects featured in Book Two.

A new logo for the new image
of Desaru Fruit Farm
 

When I was in Desaru Coast again to visit the new developments and international brand hotels here, I was delighted to discover that Desaru Fruit Farm had opened a retail outlet at the Riverside.

In April 2019, while I was at the Tunamaya Beach & Spa Resort, Desaru Coast, for their Ramadan buffet preview, I met with Er Cheong Kee and his wife, Alice, of Desaru Fruit Farm, who were also dining there.

This was the last time I saw Mr Er, who – I later learnt – passed away peacefully on Father’s Day in June 2019.

Since 2020 the global pandemic adversely affected the economy everywhere and the Desaru Fruit Farm was no exception.

While the number of farm visitors dwindled and came to a sad stop due to the lockdowns, the farm work continued with nurturing the orchard attractions to prepare for the return of visitors.

As the economy gradually reopened, I accepted the invitation to the Ramadan buffet preview at Tumeric, the Malay-Thai restaurant in Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas in March 2021.

Fresh fruits dangled above the
round-about display

This was where I met with Steve Er of Desaru Fruit Farm who happily told me that he finally read my story on their farm, published in My Johor Stories Book Two.

I was glad that he finally found time to read it because at my book launch event in December 2018, I had presented a copy of my book to his mother.

 

When I expressed my sympathies at the passing of his father, I know that he deeply appreciated that the story of the humble beginnings of Desaru Fruit Farm is now documented in my book and treasured by their family for future generations.

In my recent visit to Desaru Coast, I decided that on the return drive, I should drop by at the farm to buy some fresh fruits.

So after I had checked out from the hotel, I drove directly to the farm which was situated close to the Penawar Toll gates.

The first thing that struck me about the façade of the fruit and souvenir shop was how neatly the vehicles were arranged and that its image and colours had changed along with a new logo.

At the pavement I spotted Steve, shouting some instructions to another person, and when I said, “Hello!” to him, he did not recognize me until I had removed my hat (it was drizzling!) and shades.

I told him I was there to see what fruits were available and headed in while he went on his way to do that which I had interrupted.

At a glance I could see that the shop floor had been rearranged but their original round-about display counter was still there, now displayed with fresh fruits packed in see-through poly-bags and trays of fruits wrapped in cling-wrap.

Just as before, I saw bunches of fruits dangled enticingly from the wire mesh ceiling above the round display and this time there were bananas and jambu ayer or rose apples.

Among other fruits on the chiller shelves, I spotted melons, mangoes, guava and roselle, neatly packed and arranged, along with cups of cut fruits and jars of pickled fruits like sliced mangoes and whole umbra or kedondong.

Jars of pickled fruits and cups of cut fruits 
displayed in the chiller [Right]

I scanned the jars for pickled papaya (a favourite ever since I tasted it here!) and because I failed to find it, I asked the helpful sales-lady who was attending to me.

“Don’t have,” she replied and confirmed what I already guessed.

She then helped to select combs of bananas and recommended a species of mangoes which she said was called, Sultan.

As we chatted at the pay point, I quizzed her about how she was related to Steve and when she introduced herself as his eldest sister, I then introduced myself to her.

When I came to meet her parents for their story in 2018, I did not meet any other family members but she told me that she remembered seeing me.

At the pay point in the Fruit & Souvenir Shop

She was managing the shop and I have been at the farm countless times for farm tours that aptly ended with a fruit buffet, so she would have probably seen me.

As I left the farm with my pick of fresh fruits, my thoughts were about the farm and the family who was running it.

It was so good to see a new generation taking over the farm operations, upgrading its image and adding fun attractions like self-driven All-Terrain-Vehicles through the farm.

Desaru Fruit Farm is located close to Sungai Cemaran, Desaru, 81900 Kota Tinggi, Johor. Open daily from 8.30am to 6.00pm.

For more info on farm tours and meal reservations, visit website: www.dff.world

Note: My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich Heritage, and its sequel, My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and Inspirational People are available from MPH bookstores nationwide and online from, www.mphonline.com