Fans of an Instagram-famous 'dunkable' cookie business have booked Airbnbs to visit its first physical store.

Dunk Cookies has 30,000 followers on the social media platform and is among the businesses which will move in to the South Quay Shed development at Whitstable harbour, the names of which can be exclusively revealed by KentOnline.

Sushi, burgers, gin and an artisan coffee shop modelled on Hotel Chocolat will also be up for grabs at the site - which is set to launch in the next few weeks.

The previously run-down shed, which was used for storage, is now a modern complex laid out over two floors, with a capacity for 360 people and more than 100 seats.

And the traders that will be moving into the 15 self-contained units in Whitstable's newest venue can finally be unveiled this week.

Among them are Dunk Cookies, Rad Burger, Sooshi Sushi and Pork & Co - with a bar being run directly by the city council.

Competition for the site has been fierce, with more than 100 companies expressing an interest, and more than 40 putting in firm offers to snap up one of the units.

Annabelle Cox, 32, is the founder of Dunk Cookies - which has amassed more than 30,000 followers on Instagram.

The business has been online-only since it was formed three years ago and is based at the Joseph Wilson Industrial Estate.

"We can sell a week’s worth of stock in 30 seconds which is ridiculous," Ms Cox added.

"I’ve lived in Whitstable my whole life and have always wanted to open a shop here.

"We have a lovely connection with our customers online, but we would really like to meet them face-to-face - some have already booked Airbnbs for their ‘dunkable holiday’."

Ms Cox says she started the business "purely from greediness" as dunking cookies into different spreads was her favourite dessert.

"It was my guilty pleasure," she said. "One person shared it with another and others wanted to buy it and it pushed me into business."

The most popular product is the gift boxes where customers can choose a bag of cookies and two dips from the monthly menu.

Another trader at the site will be chef Joanne Wilson, 29, who runs Sooshi Sushi which she started in her kitchen in March 2020 amid the Covid lockdown.

"It was a boredom thing where I delivered sushi to friends and family, but it has spiralled and it is has become my full-time job," she said.

Although she is a professional chef of seven years, Ms Wilson learnt how to make sushi by researching online and practising in her kitchen.

She has held pop-up restaurants and sushi workshops in the area.

"It’s a food Whitstable has been missing for so long considering we’re a seaside town," she added.

"There will be a bit of seating inside and we want to give people another option to fish and chips.

"It’s exciting and I’m not worried at all. We have a lot of support and it’s been a long time coming so we’re excited for it to open now."

Co-founder of Whitstable-based Lost Sheep Coffee, Stuart Wilson, 39, is delighted to be opening a shop in the harbour.

He told how the branch would stock his products and staff would act as a coffee equivalent of a sommelier - drilling into customer's drinking habits and offering workshops.

"For us it’s great because we are actually setting up our first retail only shop which we are modelling on the Hotel Chocolat set-up," he said.

"There are lots of plans and we are going to be using it as an educational piece for customers, about who we are and what speciality coffee is - it’s a bit daring and I don’t know if it will work."

Jennie Bartram, of traditional fruit and vegetable stall Lavender and Blackberry, told how they are moving into the development this year.

They are celebrating their 20th year in The Parade, Canterbury, and also have a pop-up stall in Deal high street.

"We have many years' experience working with fruit and veggies as my husband worked in Berwick Street Market in London from the early age of eight in his school holidays," she said.

"We specialise in seasonal fruit and veggies - working with many Kent farms who we have worked for many years now."

Chairman of the Whitstable Harbour Board, Cllr Neil Baker (Con), says the tenants will offer "a brilliant mix".

"Together they will help create a vibrant attraction for Whitstable that will be a fantastic place to while away a few hours in," he said.

"Interest levels in the development have been very high and we were several times oversubscribed for the units, such was the enthusiasm from traders who were keen to be part of what we've created.

"We are now in the final stages of this project, with the traders fitting out their units and, fittingly for a harbour venue, getting everything ship-shape.

"Details about the opening will be provided soon and we're looking forward to welcoming everybody in the next few weeks."

The proposed opening hours are from 9am to 8pm between March 2 and October 30, and from 9am to 5pm between October 31 and March 1.

More than £700,000 was spent on the project, funded from the Whitstable Harbour account. It will provide an annual rental yield of 20%, meaning the project will be paid for in five years.

The internal large courtyard with a mezzanine deck is themed on maritime operations and the food and retail outlets are situated on both the ground and first floors.

In selecting the new tenants, the council required bidders to be local businesses or sole traders, to offer local employment proposals, to have no single-use plastics and to demonstrate sustainable business practices.

There will also be toilet facilities offering three women’s and three men’s stalls, and an accessible toilet.

Work on the redevelopment was delayed due to the pandemic, but the project continued despite fears major schemes planned for Whitstable could be put on hold.

The other firms coming to South Quay Shed

Pork & Co, famed for its signature pulled pork, is another eatery opening at the site. It already has branches in Canterbury and Thanet.

Street food and takeaway firm Rad Burger will also be serving up tasty grub at the South Quay.

Launched in 2014, it promises "proper juicy burgers" along with its signature rosemary fries.

HatHats Coffee will also move in. It was founded by entrepreneur Louis Hurst and his wife Lisa in 2015 - and is based across the Canterbury district.

It will offer coffee and fine teas, cake and ice creams, crepes, sandwiches and smoothies.

Charlie Chan's Asian Street Food and The Picnic Box are also on the list of names.

Photographer Sue Carfrae and artist Christine Hunt have joined forces to create Art Shed Whitstable.

It will showcases pictures, painting, jewellery and sculptures at - what they bill to be - a "new and exciting space".

The Fish Course is a business selling antique items relating to eating and serving fish and shellfish.

Handmade gift firms Knotstuff Crafts and Wit of Whitstable will also be launching at the site.

The Whitstable Distillery Company and Rewear complete the list of tenants moving in.

The Unit 6 bar will be run directly by the council, as well as providing an on-site management facility.

The cash generated by the council will be used for future maintenance and the income of the harbour.