By TM Petaccia

Dukes’ sourdough is made with a starter that’s more than two centuries old. TM Petaccia/UP

For the most part, Dukes Bread has been a wholesale operation, selling to restaurants such as Bang Bang Burgers, Snooze AM Eatery, Church & Union, and What The Fries, with  a few retail grocers. Consumers’ only direct option was to head to Charlotte Regional Farmers Market on Saturdays, where Dukes Bread has a weekly presence.

Dukes offers a variety of breads, including flavored sourdough and rolls and buns. TM Petaccia/UP

Now, however, consumers can preorder a wide variety of Dukes’ breads via its website for pickup at Free Range Brewing each Wednesday.

“We’ve been thinking about how to expand our availability to the general public for some time, and with the holidays coming up we thought the timing was right,” says Adam Duke, Dukes Bread owner. “For the past five years, we’ve been focused on our wholesale business; however, we found that our farmers market and retail outlet sales really helped pull us through the hard times of COVID. We wanted to expand that connection.”

Operating since 2010, Dukes Bread is a nut-free operation using exclusively GMO-free unbleached, unbromated, and low-processed flour. In addition, they have maintained a 200-year-old sourdough starter that’s used in all of their sourdough-based breads.

Currently, the Dukes website lists 24 different items available for preorder, including classic sourdough loaves and rounds, rye bread, brioche buns, potato rolls, pretzel pull-a-parts, focaccias, flatbreads, and more.

Orders must total a minimum of $20. Pickups take place between 4 and 6 p.m. at Free Range Brewing’s NoDa location each Wednesday beginning November 23, the day before Thanksgiving.

“Free Range Brewing has always been incredibly generous with offering their space up for small business growth,” Duke says. “We really think it’s a perfect situation for everyone.”