Find Out the Touching Reason This Popular New Bedford Café is Called DōCo

Dough Company in New Bedford, also known as DōCo, has been serving up homemade, locally grown eats for the past three years in the South End of New Bedford.

Before Jill and Jason Cotter completely renovated their first brick-and-mortar in the Kilburn Mill back in 2020, they got their start at a popular farmer’s market, and after having their daughter, they had plenty of inspiration to decide on the name "DōCo".

Get our free mobile app

How Dough Company Got Started

On Thursday, I got a chance to pull up a chair at DōCo and indulge in menu items such as the Portuguese omelet, lemon blue pancakes and the veggie frittata. Between bites, I asked one of the owners, Jason Cotter, where they came up with the name “Dough Company”, and his response was very endearing.

In 2019, he and his wife started their business out of their kitchen, making fresh baked goods to sell at a New Bedford’s farmer’s market.

By 2020, they had their sights set on a cozy nook in the Kilburn Mill to be the home of their evolving business. They moved in, transformed the space, and continued to sell freshly made bread, baked goods and so much more.

With their humble beginnings and bright future in mind, the Cotters started playing with their official name.

“We knew we wanted to pay homage to our beginnings," Jason said, so paying homage to their relationship with fresh baked goods just made sense.

Jill Cotter added, "Our daughter is named Dolores Cotter (DoCo) and was named after Jason’s Mom, who passed away the year before we moved back to this area."

Their namesake reminds them of their time baking fresh baked goods out of their kitchen, but DōCo also serves as a touching tribute to the past and how the importance of family can sprout a beautiful idea that SouthCoast coffee and brunch lovers can relate to.