09/28/2026
WOW! One of our sister stores in the Netherlands is 70 YEARS OLD! We've got a ways to go to catch up with that tradition😍 Enjoy the article below:
DIEMEN - Chocolaterie Stam at Arent Krijtsstraat 38 celebrates its seventieth anniversary September 24. Owner Kelly Stam (52) talks about the business.
In 1956, Chocolaterie Stam opened on Arent Krijtsstraat. The Stam family had moved into the apartment above the shop a year earlier. Kelly is the third generation of the Stam family to live in the home above the shop.
Anyone stepping into Chocolaterie Stam will immediately be impressed by the generous and varied selection of chocolate. Kelly: “We sell a wide variety of products. For example, number trays and letter trays, on which people can suggest their own numbers or letters, for instance for a sixtieth wedding anniversary. But also chessboards with chocolate chess pieces and tennis rackets. For our seventieth anniversary, we are selling special tins with our own homemade chocolates.”
Kelly remembers from her youth that there were many more specialty shops in the Arent Krijtsstraat back then than there are today. But she is still established in the Arent Krijtsstraat to her full satisfaction. Chocolaterie Stam does not rely on casual passers-by, but has many regular customers who come to the shop specifically. The customers appreciate the quality of the products and the personal service. Kelly: “It is nice that people who used to live in Diemen, but have since moved away, still come by. That shows a lot of appreciation.”
In addition to the shop on Arent Krijtsstraat, Chocolaterie Stam has four other branches: in Huizen, Bussum, Breukelen, and Hoofddorp. “All the chocolate we sell is made in the production area behind our shop in Diemen. We then deliver it to our branches.”
One of the most popular items in the assortment of Chocolaterie Stam on Arent Krijtsstraat is the boxes of Diemer Ducks. The box contains ducks made of dark, white, and milk chocolate. “The colors of the boxes are blue, white, and blue. Those are the colors of the flag of the municipality of Diemen. There is a very high demand for the Diemer Ducks. I often notice that people are really proud of Diemen. Our customers can also have the contents of those boxes custom-made.”
Chocolate is an item that is often given as a gift. For Chocolaterie Stam, a number of moments in the year are particularly important. Kelly: “These include Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, the period just before the primary school summer holidays ('Thank you, Miss' or 'Thank you, Mr.'), autumn, Sinterklaas, and Christmas. These are times of the year when people give chocolate as a gift.”
Kelly has been working at the business for a very long time. She works alongside a number of colleagues who have also been with her for a long time. She enjoys her work. “I really like the work. I know many of the customers who come here personally, but fortunately, new customers are still coming in. I plan to continue working for a long time.”