Rheinlander Bakery: Tradition Meets Innovation in Olde Town Arvada
Walk down Grandview Avenue and the air tells you where to stop. Sweet notes of strudel, almond, and cinnamon drift out of a storefront that's been serving Arvada since 1963. That's Rheinlander Bakery, one of Olde Town's longest-running landmarks — a place where European pastry tradition meets modern innovation, and where community has always been the main ingredient.
From Germany to Grandview
Rheinlander's story begins in June 1963, when Jakob and Katharina Dimmer — German immigrants with old-world recipes in hand — opened Dimmer's Bakery. Their son, Ed, grew up behind the counter, eventually taking over with his wife Maro in 1986.
For decades, the Dimmers kept Arvada stocked with European staples: strudel, kuchen, Persian rolls, potica, poppyseed bread, and a Black Forest cake that's still a favorite today. Customers came for tradition, but the bakery's true strength was its willingness to evolve.
1963
The year it all began with Jakob and Katharina Dimmer's vision
Reinvention Through Challenge
In the early 2000s, Maro faced two life-changing diagnoses: celiac disease and ovarian cancer. Most bakers would have stepped back. Instead, Rheinlander stepped forward.
Gluten-Free Options
Almond flour replaced wheat in carefully crafted recipes
Sugar-Free Alternatives
Coconut sugar and natural sweeteners became staples
Dairy-Free & Vegan
Full menu options for every dietary need
The bakery began developing gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, and vegan options — not as side notes, but as full-fledged members of the menu. Almond flour replaced wheat, coconut sugar replaced white, and recipes were reimagined so customers with allergies or dietary restrictions could enjoy the same quality and taste.
This pivot transformed Rheinlander into a pioneer. Long before "gluten-free" was a trend, the bakery was proving it could be delicious.
More Than Pastries: A Community Anchor
Rheinlander has always been more than a bakery. Under Maro's leadership, it became a community partner, lending time and treats to causes from Ralston House to Jefferson Center for Mental Health. After Hurricane Katrina, they launched their Mardi Gras king cake tradition as a fundraiser — a seasonal staple that stuck.
"Step inside during a festival or Olde Town market, and you'll see Rheinlander's role clearly: part bakery, part gathering place, part tradition keeper."
New Hands, Same Heart
In recent years, ownership passed to Loren and Luke Naftz, who have embraced both legacy and change. They've modernized operations with online ordering and curbside pickup, especially during COVID, while keeping the cases full of European classics and allergen-friendly favorites.
Today, Rheinlander is as much about inclusion as it is about indulgence. Whether you're vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, or just pastry-obsessed, there's something here for you — baked fresh, seven days a week.
What's Next
Like Olde Town itself, Rheinlander continues to evolve. New flavors join old recipes. New customers find the place through word of mouth and festivals. And longtime locals return for the same strudel they grew up with.
Sixty years on, Rheinlander isn't just surviving. It's thriving
— proof that tradition and innovation don't have to be opposites. In Olde Town Arvada, they can rise together, like a well-proofed loaf.