Docker Bakery and Docker Brew Co celebrate 10 years this summer

The Docker story started at Folkestone Harbour in 2016. Founders Wesley Burden and Peter Nelson brought together their shared loved for two fermentation processes – sourdough baking and craft brewing, to produce high quality, classic products with a forward-thinking edge. In the decade since they launched, they have created thriving businesses, providing exceptional bread and beer for both their retail and wholesale customers.

The Docker community continues to grow, with customers visiting them in Folkestone, their most recent opening in Ashford, both of which serve takeaway coffee, and Canterbury, at The Goods Shed. Baked goods are also available to purchase for local delivery, and Docker Brew Co’s craft ales, beers and sodas are available online, and can be delivered nationally.

The Docker Bakery team, led by Wesley Burden, is passionate about creating handcrafted bread that is delicious, nutritious and sustaining, which they aim to do in a way that benefits the community, their customers, and the environment. Their House Sourdough and Cruffins are best-sellers, and along with their full range of bakes, are made using regeneratively farmed flour from the UK, often sourced from Wildfarmed’s farming community. The Bakery’s oven is carbon-neutral fuelled by sustainable wood pellets, and waste is kept to a minimum.

The Bakery moved from West Hythe to its current, more spacious location in Folkestone’s Park Farm, in summer 2024, with the Brewery joining them a year later. Docker’s Taproom is open to the public three days a week, and has a calendar of community events running throughout the year. The space is also available for private events and bookings.

Docker Brew Co’s beers feature quality UK malts, contemporary yeast variants, and juicy, vibrant hops from UK and New World locations. Docker’s approach pays respect to, and is inspired by, the county’s brewing history, focusing on Kentish style ales, using Kentish hops. The team, led by Peter Nelson, is continually seeking to evolve recipes and processes to find new ways of producing the best beers they can. Their in-house style is a fruit forward and dank hop profile on a light pale malt base. They believe good beer should be full of flavour with all the vibrancy that modern brewing processes and ingredients can offer.

The Brewery also produce a range of seasonal natural ferments, such as ginger beer, sparkling elderflower and cherryade. The finest fresh and local ingredients are sourced for the recipes, which stay as simple as possible, with no additional flavourings or colourings. Docker’s locations in Folkestone, Canterbury and Ashford are ideally placed for both locals, and visitors to the towns, to purchase products that can be enjoyed at home or on the move.