jers retail store
Jerry Swain, founder of Jer's, poses at his company's new retail store in San Diego. 

Anyone craving some gourmet chocolate and peanut butter now just needs to hope for a layover or a final destination in San Diego.

Jer’s Chocolates has opened a retail store in the city’s International Airport.

The fully branded store is located in Terminal 2 East, and is among several local brands that have recently been added to the airport.

According to the San Diego Business Journal, “The 220-sq.-ft. store will carry a full line of the company’s gourmet sweets, including chocolate bars and its top-selling Peanut Butter Balls. Shifts of 1 to 3 workers will be selling between 4:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. on most days at the airport, and Swain plans to get plenty of taste-test feedback on new products in the pipeline.”

“So many airports have the same mix of things, so you forget what city you’re actually in,” Swain told the San Diego Business Journal. “What’s happening now is more like what I see when I go to Hawaii, where you know exactly where you are because so many things being sold at their airport is indigenous to Hawaii.”

With an expected 19 million passerby's per year, the chocolate maker hopes the high traffic in the airport will generate excellent brand recognition for Jer's Chocolates and will allow its products to be flown and enjoyed all over the world.

Jer’s says the reception to the grand opening has been tremendous.

The company specializes in gourmet chocolate-covered peanut butter candy and handmade chocolates. The distinct flavors of chocolate and peanut butter combine together as a base to craft each decadent confection.

With unique, award-winning flavor combinations, the company began by using all-natural peanut butter and chocolate and then blended it with rice crisps, pretzels, toffee or caramel.  They also sell gourmet chocolate peanut butter bars now as well.