About

About Andrew Smart

Andrew Smart, of Greenville, South Carolina, is the CEO and owner of Core Catalyst Food Sciences and Duke Sandwich Company. Smart’s expertise and experience are in food manufacturing and product and brand development. His passion for making a difference in people’s lives—at his companies and beyond—inspires him daily.

Smart leads an organization that not only makes great food but also partners with great companies, with an overarching focus on developing great people. He is unwavering in his dedication to building great teams for great brands, with quality as the bedrock of everything they accomplish. Smart is proud of what he and his team have built and the impact they continue to make on their communities and the industry as a whole.

CEO of DiscoverFresh Foods

Since 2005, Smart has been CEO of DiscoverFresh Foods, a manufacturer of “homemade” quality foods such as dips, spreads, granola, and desserts from its level II Safe Quality Food Program (SQF) certified manufacturing facilities. DiscoverFresh Foods also operates as a strategic partner and advisor, offering services in product development, testing, research, procurement and sourcing assistance, marketing and advertising services, and creative design services. Companies partnering with DiscoverFresh Foods take their products from ideation to market launch efficiently.

Some of the company’s brands and partners include Hidden Valley® Ranch, Texas Pete® Hot Sauce, Louisiana Hot Sauce, and Taste of the South.

Making a Difference

DiscoverFresh’s culture represents Andrew Smart’s mission to make a difference, emphasizing spirituality, service, and personal development. Its mission is ‘Serve, Connect, and Make a Difference’ and goes beyond making products. Its culture shapes who DiscoverFresh is and how it affects others. The company provides the same level of service to its clients and community by focusing on its people and developing them inside the organization.

Behind Core Catalyst Food Sciences: The Impetus for Change

In 2018, Smart took a different approach to food testing services, realizing there was a need for a laboratory in South Carolina that could provide high-quality services to a large number of growing food manufacturers. As a result, Core Catalyst was born.

Core Catalyst Food Sciences is an ISO-IEC 17025-recognized laboratory that prides itself on providing accurate results, quick turnaround times, and cost-effective laboratory services to assist clients in verifying that their products comply with local, national, and international requirements. Its experts collaborate directly with clients to discover and understand their risk factors to improve product quality. Core Catalyst’s food safety and quality services assure firms that their products are safe and ready for market.

Its laboratory and Executive Director of Laboratory Services provide consultation engagements to help clients choose which tests are necessary for each product and which should be included in curated shelf-life research. Furthermore, Core Catalyst Food Services conducts challenge trials, which include the injection of pathogenic bacteria, to assess the efficacy of preservatives, packaging, and formula composition. Its objective is to improve food safety and quality using scientific methods.

Clients have included U.S. Waffle Company, Lean Kitchen Company, and Signature Seasonings, Spartanburg Meats, BakeMark USA.

Duke Sandwich Company

Duke Sandwich Company is a wholesale and retail sandwich enterprise and local landmark in Greenville, SC, and famous for its mayonnaise and sandwich spread recipes. It offers everything from Duke spreads (pimento cheese, chicken salad, cream cheese pineapple pecan) to classic sandwiches (grilled cheese, minced BBQ, tuna salad, and more), premium sandwiches (egg salad BLT, chicken salad croissant), sides, including scoops of its famous spreads, and desserts.

Education

Andrew Smart, of Greenville, SC, attended Clemson University in South Carolina and later Wingate University in North Carolina, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. At Clemson, Smart played two years of football for coach Tommy West and the Tigers during the 1997 and 1998 seasons. He was a two-year letter winner on Wingate’s football team.

Philanthropy: Paying it Forward

Smart is a former board member of IPTAY Clemson University, the fundraising organization for Clemson University Athletics. He has been involved with the Tigerhood Mentorship Program, the All-In Foundation, and the Clemson University Food & Sciences department.

He and his wife Julie are also Clemson University’s Cornerstone Partners. These are a special group of bold and visionary donors who have given transformational gifts of $2.5 million or more to move Clemson forward.

Leaving a Meaningful Legacy at His Alma Mater

In addition, Smart was a former board of Trustees member for Wingate University and a major contributor to the University. In 2022, he and Julie donated a $2 million gift to Wingate University Athletics. Their gift “significantly advanced fundraising for a student-athlete training and development facility,” according to a press release issued by the University.

Andrew Smart of Greenville, SC, has also donated to the American Heart Association.

He and Julie, who currently serves as the Director of Doctor of Education at Anderson University in South Carolina. They have two children, Drew and Claire.