Clemson food sciences program melds the science, business of food

Understanding food chemistry and best practices for packaging can be crucial for any food manufacturer.

With several food processors calling the Upstate home, and access to more than 100 million consumers within a day’s drive, it made sense for Clemson University to offer a Food, Nutrition, and Packaging Sciences program.

“The range of topics is quite varied,” said Charles Santerre, department chair for Clemson’s Food, Nutrition and Packaging Sciences program. The degree program offers coursework in food chemistry, biology, nutrition, packaging science and marketing.

Valuable in starting a business

Clemson alumni Kenny Driggers spent three of his four years at Clemson before graduating in 2014 with a degree in food sciences. Driggers now owns Double Stamp Brewery in Greenville. He said what he learned in the program has played a huge role in his business and encourages more graduates from the program to get involved in brewing.

At Clemson, he learned to create his own brand, which is where Double Stamp was born. The chemistry, biology and marketing he studied was instrumental in priming him for the craft beer industry. While he doesn’t manufacture his own bottles and cans, classes like graphic communications introduced the basic tools of building a brand. Using that knowledge, he was able to design the labels for his bottles and cans. Driggers says he also learned about the science behind creating beer.

“I learned a little bit about a lot,” Driggers said and was exposed to many different aspects of owning a business.

Great career potential

Clemson’s packaging program is one of the top two programs in the country, according to Santerre, and with brands like Keurig Dr. Pepper in Spartanburg County, Duke Foods in Mauldin and Nestle in Cherokee County operating in the state, graduates can stay in South Carolina.

The program is proving popular at the university, even though it’s relatively unknown, says Santerre. With 500 undergraduates currently in the program, it’s at near-capacity, he says. Students who come to Clemson without a clear career path in mind often gravitate to Food, Nutrition, and Packaging Sciences and the program is looking to move beyond the just food.

“One of the areas we’re expanding in is medical packaging,” says Santerre. “We have a good dialogue with a couple of those companies.”