The local DU community must no longer suffer from the lack of an ever-present source of genuinely handcrafted, artisanal Bavarian chocolates. A new, bright and glamorous shop has just been born—Deiter’s Chocolates—offering many innovatively delectable options that will satisfy any chocolate fanatic’s cravings.

Dietrich’s Chocolate and Espresso used to occupy the space between Illegal Pete’s and Kaladi Coffee Roasters on Evans just west of campus; however, after Dietrich’s closure at the end of 2015, an opportunity for revitalization came for one particular chocolate-maker who was more than willing to take advantage of it.

On the Tuesday before Valentine’s Day, Deiter’s Chocolates opened with hopeful prospects for the holiday and the upcoming year of their brand new local business. While they are still in the process of putting the final touches on different aspects of the store, the interior of the shop’s classic, yet modern ambience will instantly coerce anyone into developing a craving for at least one sugary confection. There is limited seating, but their chocolate is a convenient grab-and-go option for in between classes or satisfying any cravings that a day of meetings and homework may have caused.

Erich Dietrich, native of Bavaria, Germany, was the owner of Dietrich’s Chocolate and Espresso for just over 35 years. When he retired, his apprentice of 15 years, Adrienne Johnson-Conway, decided to follow in his footsteps and open up a chocolate shop with all of the same authenticity and quality, but an updated, modern approach to the chocolate scene. The name of the new shop, Deiter’s, is a reference to the family of Johnson-Conway’s partners. They have four generations of men named Dietrich in their own family, including their son, and Deiter is a family nickname.

The shop’s renovated image is reflected in the bright blue color that dances through the store as a background to the colorful wrappings of the newly introduced bars and candies. Among the limitless selection of these bars are Pure7 organic, gluten-free chocolate bars that are sweetened with honey, Chuao Chocolatier “baconluxious” chocolate bars, Seattle Chocolates Dark San Juan Sea Salt chocolate bars or Jcoco Chocolate peanut strawberry baobab dark chocolate bars.

In addition to the introduction of these tasty treats, the most tempting feature of the shop remains the wide selection of chocolate truffles, turtles, nut clusters, cookies, fudge and other chocolate creations: all of which are made in house, just on the other side of the clear windows behind the display counter. Some notable items include chocolate-covered orange peels, chocolate-covered graham crackers and every nutty, sweet or salty flavor a chocolate connoisseur could imagine.

“Our goals for the new shop space include adding unique products and recipes to entice a broad customer base. We intend to create events—like chocolate-dipping classes, kids’ birthday parties, chocolate and wine pairings—to invite our community inside to enjoy the decadent fun of chocolate,” said Robyn Kuhlmann, Johnson-Conway’s partner in the business.

Finally, according to Johnson-Conway, Deiter’s is hopeful about being engrained within the DU community, and will be offering discounts to DU students and faculty with ID, ultimately making these extraordinary hand-crafted chocolates not only a college-student necessity, but affordable for one as well.

Deiter’s Chocolates is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays and is closed on Mondays. More information can be found on their new website, deiterschocolates.com, their Twitter profile @DeitersChoc, their Instagram @DeitersChoc or their Facebook “Deiter’s Chocolates.”