August 2026: Docker Bakery opens in Dover on Thursday 27 August, as tenants of Dover District Council, in their newly built Bench building on Bench Street, a stone’s throw from the town’s Market Square, and St James Retail Park.
The Bench, which has been designed as a creative centre and education campus for East Kent College, opens to the public this week to coincide with the start of the new academic year.
Docker Dover is to offer a full range of its freshly-baked sourdough breads, pastries and drinks, including Curve Roasters coffee, and Docker Brewery beers on tap, alongside a seasonal day-time food menu, featuring a selection of flavour-filled sandwiches, vibrant salads and soups.
The café, which is accessible from street level, has 34 covers, with seating inside and out, with the latter offering views of Dover Castle.
Wes Burden, co-founder of Docker said, “We are excited to open Docker in Dover, and to become part of the daily rhythm of this brilliant new building in the heart of the town, serving members of the local community, as well as those studying and working at The Bench.”
Customers will be able to pick up a loaf of bread, pop by for a coffee and pastry, and order items from the menu, which will be available to eat in or take away.
Docker Dover opens as the business celebrates its tenth birthday. Docker opened in 2016 in a small shipping container on the East Yard at Folkestone Harbour. Founded by Wesley Burden and Peter Nelson, the Bakery grew from a shared passion for fermentation — sourdough baking and craft brewing, to produce high quality, classic products with a forward-thinking edge.
Docker Dover joins Docker’s existing sites in Folkestone at Park Farm, Canterbury at The Goods Shed, and Ashford, which opened in autumn 2025.
ENDS
Media Contacts:
Charlotte Allen & Diana Massey
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Notes for Editors:
Docker Dover
Ground Floor, The Bench
15 Bench Street, Dover, Kent CT16 1JW
Opening Hours:
Mondays – Fridays, 8am – 4pm; Saturdays, 9am – 4pm
Instagram: @dockerdover
Docker Bakery | Instagram @dockerbakery | https://dockerbakery.com
Docker’s bread range of products are crafted without artificial preservatives, emulsifiers, or palm oil. Made using a unique fermentation process, Docker's nutrient packed breads are easier to digest, while also boasting enhanced flavour and texture.
Docker Brew Co | Instagram @dockerbrewery | https://dockerbrewery.com
The Folkestone-based sourdough bakery and brewery Docker Bakery and Docker Brew Co celebrate 10 years this summer. They have become renowned in East Kent for their artisanal sourdough bread and pastries, and flavourful beers and soft drinks.
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. Dover will be their fourth site, opening in late summer 2026.
Baked goods are 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.
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.
