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Docker Brewery and Bakehouse on Folkestone Harbour Arm launch crowdfunding campaign for more equipment to help feed homeless

A bakery in Folkestone is in 'knead' of more dough... but not the edible kind.

Docker Brewery and Bakehouse has launched a crowdfunding campaign to expand their business so they can feed more homeless people in the district.

The business, based on the Harbour Arm, is hoping to raise enough to afford new equipment and more workspace so they can bake more bread for those who would otherwise go hungry.

Folkestone Harbour Arm Docker Bakehouse and Brewery opens,Wes Burden with some fresh bread.Picture: Paul Amos. (3914950)
Folkestone Harbour Arm Docker Bakehouse and Brewery opens,Wes Burden with some fresh bread.Picture: Paul Amos. (3914950)

On their crowdfunding page, the owners said the bakers often sell out of their goods before it event makes it to good causes in the town.

Wesley Burden from Docker said: "Folkestone has a strong food scene with people really caring about the quality and providence of the food they eat. It’s exciting to be able to be a part of it.

"The plan is to get a bigger mixer and a larger cool room to enable us to make more bread per batch.

Homelessness. Stock pic
Homelessness. Stock pic

"On the brewery side, we would like more fermenters so we can make more litres of beer per week.

"All this will still happen down at the Harbour in our shipping containers."

Folkestone Harbour Arm Docker Bakehouse and Brewery opens,From left Wes Burden,Pete Nelson Jess Buckingham and Ben Thompson.Picture: Paul Amos. (3914954)
Folkestone Harbour Arm Docker Bakehouse and Brewery opens,From left Wes Burden,Pete Nelson Jess Buckingham and Ben Thompson.Picture: Paul Amos. (3914954)

The company was recently given partial funding from the government for a new oven, but say they now need more fridge space and a bigger mixer to fill it with more bread.

They have also secured EU funding from the council to 'benefit the East Folkestone area', but this only covers half the cost of the new equipment.

Their appeal says they want to keep investing their profit money back into the business to create jobs, and because margins are tight in food production businesses, buying new equipment takes a large outlay of money.

Mr Burden continued: "With a larger capacity it will ensure we can continue helping out schemes like the winter shelter run by the Rainbow Centre.

"The winter shelter provides food and accommodation through the winter months to the most vulnerable people in our community.

"We are proud to be supporting this good cause by providing bread every week via customer donations. On the same note, we also send any surplus bread to the food bank."

For more information, visit Docker Brewery and Bakehouse on Facebook.

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