1. Start with a defined demand, not a product format
DITP's direction following a 27 July 2026 meeting with overseas trade representatives places foreign-market demand first, then connects it to product development, market expansion and the supply chain. For durian, saying that ‘the market wants processed products’ is not precise enough. The team must identify who buys, when the product is used, which channel carries it, and what problem fresh fruit cannot solve well.
A bakery buyer may value puree consistency and recipe-level costing, while retail may prioritise shelf life, pack size and shelf comprehension. Gifting may emphasise experience and story. One format should not automatically be assigned to every channel.
2. Seven screening questions before investment
The following is an editorial decision tool synthesised from DITP's demand-driven direction and NIA's FoodTech context. It is not an official standard, a sales guarantee or a certification requirement. Answers should come from customers, trade partners, manufacturers and the responsible authorities in each target market.
- 1) Who is the primary customer—consumer, restaurant, hotel, cafe, food factory or importer?
- 2) Which problem or consumption occasion can this product serve better than fresh fruit?
- 3) Which format fits the channel—freeze-dried, dried, frozen, puree, sauce, ice cream or another option?
- 4) What quality, safety, ingredient and shelf-life evidence does the buyer require?
- 5) Do target cost, selling price and willingness to pay align?
- 6) Who owns raw material, formulation, OEM production, packaging and lot traceability?
- 7) What minimum pilot must pass before equipment, inventory or market expansion?
3. Convert the concept into evidence through a small pilot
Before a large production order, build prototypes that vary only the decisive factors—concentration, pack size, use case or price level—and test them with the intended buyer. Go beyond ‘Do you like it?’ Ask how it would be used, what must change, who approves it and what purchasing conditions apply.
DITP's Thai Food Thai Farm programme emphasises online marketing, brand building and product presentation for agriculture and food entrepreneurs. A pilot should therefore capture both product and communication evidence: whether the value is understood, whether a use demonstration reduces uncertainty, and which questions recur by channel.
4. New value must not become an unsupported claim
NIA notes that modern food markets care about health, sustainability, technology, production process and origin story. Using these words on a label or in marketing still requires evidence appropriate to the actual product. A durian ingredient does not automatically justify health, sustainability or environmental claims.
Before scale, use separate gates for market demand, technical feasibility, unit economics and target-market regulation. If one gate is incomplete, return to the prototype. Interest at a trade show or a small number of positive comments should not substitute for orders and observed use evidence.
5. A four-step path from market question to investment decision
First, write a one-page Market Brief defining customer, channel, product job and major requirements. Second, make a small prototype with documented formula, lot, cost and limitations. Third, test with target buyers and record actual use, purchase intent and order conditions. Fourth, decide to stop, adapt or scale, supported by an OEM/Supplier and quality-control plan.
For Siam Diamond, this article maps future opportunities; it does not announce that every processed-durian format is already available. Commercial communication should follow verification of the product, process, documentation and delivery readiness.
