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A law graduate from the London School of Economics has traded the courtroom for the orchard, leaving his legal career to build a boutique organic durian farm in Malaysia specialising in premium Black Thorn fruit.
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Vin Cheah, 30, said he left the legal profession because it did not align with what he wanted to do. "Law is a man-made ecosystem that keeps people in check. However, what I really wanted was to create something tangible — something I could share with the community," he told 8 Days.
Cheah resigned from his legal job in 2021 and established Bentong Hill Durian, a 10-acre farm in Pahang, where he grows mainly organic Black Thorn durians, along with Musang King and Tupai King varieties. The farm avoids chemical fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides, relying instead on organic cultivation methods.
His first harvest produced only 118 durians, with about half selling for RM100 (US$24) per kilogram, roughly double the price of premium durians typically sold in Malaysia.
Cheah also advises other orchard owners, overseeing about 100 acres of farmland containing roughly 2,800 durian trees. He hopes to bring Bentong Hill Durian to Singapore through a retail partner next year.
