Araya Artisan Chocolate

"It's interesting to see, people start sometimes with flavors that they like. Sometimes it's color that they like, and they arrange the box however they want. We have some people so picky that they want specific chocolates in specific places," Zullian said

The shop also offers a wide array of chocolate products, including dried fruit dipped in chocolate, such as mangos, pears, apricots and oranges. The chocolatier also features chocolate pretzels, chocolate bars, chocolate lollipops, macaroons and will soon offer a new delicacy: artisan marshmallows.

"The difference between us and, say, Godiva, first is freshness," Zullian said. "Today we're cooking something that's going to be used in the next few weeks, but at other chocolatiers you're buying something that's going to be used in the next two to three months maybe. The other thing is that we don't use any artificial flavors. Everything that we use is the real thing."

Zullian said he and his wife, Carla Susi, came up with the idea to open a chocolate shop in 2008. The couple, who now live in Katy, lived in Venezuela and worked for corporations but had a desire to migrate to the U.S. and open their own business. A friend in Venezuela owns a chocolate shop, and the couple convinced her to teach them the craft.

They ultimately quit their jobs and spent six months learning the chocolate business before opening a kitchen in Katy in December 2009 and their first storefront in River Oaks in February 2010. Zullian said they chose Houston because it fared well during the economic recession and, despite its size, there are few chocolatiers.

Zullian said they added a storefront to the Katy kitchen in 2011 and opened a third storefront in Uptown Park in June 2013 with plans to hopefully expand even more in the future.

He said the chocolatier's business has steadily grown 30-40 percent per year. Customers come from across the Greater Houston area. They even sell chocolate in some Central Market and H-E-B stores. Zullian hopes to growk online orders, which only make up about 5 percent of sales.

Debra Welsch, of Katy, recently made her first trip to the shop and said she was pleased to discover an independent chocolatier in her community.

"My grandparents were from Germany, so I'm used to eating quality chocolate," Welsch said. "I've been looking for a place like this. Just look at the [boxes of chocolate]. It's like giving a piece of art as a gift."

Distinctive flavors

Araya Artisan Chocolate sells 36 distinctive flavors combining Venezuelan chocolate and a variety of fresh ingredients. Below are a few of the shop's more unusual flavors.

Bourbon & Cherry

This flavor mixes fresh cherries with Jim Bean's Red Stag Bourbon and a dark Venezuela ganache. Chai Spice

A dark chocolate ganache is spiced with black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Key Lime

Hand painted with a white chocolate, this chocolate combines milk chocolate ganache with lime zest and juice. Peanut Butter & Berries

This chocolate combines dark chocolate ganache with peanut butter and blackberries. Pink Salt

The shop's best seller, this flavor combines a dark chocolate ganache with pink sea salt from the Himalayan Mountains. Araya Artisan Chocolate

1575 W. Grand Parkway S.

Katy 281-395-1050

Mon.–Fri. 9 a.m.–6 p.m.,

Sat. Noon–5 p.m., Closed Sunday

www.arayachocolate.com