Business

The man who dropped out of university, started an e-commerce business in his twenties, and sold his company for R402 million

Daily Investor • 8 September 2026

Andrew Smith founded Yuppiechef in 2006 with his friend, Shane Dryden, and initially ran the business from a lounge in Plumstead, Cape Town.

Fifteen years later, on 1 August 2021, they sold their e-commerce business to the South African retailer, Mr Price, for R402 million.

Smith told this story in his book, Handwritten, the founding story of Yuppiechef, which was published this year.

His story is a familiar one. After matriculating from Hilton College in KwaZulu-Natal, he studied Computer Science at the University of Cape Town.

However, the slow pace and academic environment did not suit him, and he dropped out of university to enter the workforce.

He started a career in web development, building early-stage websites for a company called The Blue Box, based in Pietermaritzburg.

He later relocated to Cape Town, where he continued his web development work. However, his entrepreneurial spirit drove him to start his own business.

Smith joined forces with Dryden to start their first e-commerce venture, selling ‘Bug Zappers’. They later expanded the business to include additional products.

Dryden was a food enthusiast, and they decided to launch a new e-commerce venture selling kitchen equipment, which was not easy to buy in South Africa.

He selected the name Yuppiechef. Smith was initially not convinced it was the right name. However, he later realised it was a great name for the business.

Yuppiechef launched with just 32 products, and Smith and Dryden did not do the packing, shipping, and related tasks themselves from Smith’s house.

One thing which set them apart was handwritten notes which thanked clients personally for every order. This personalisation was a hit.

The company showed strong growth and became one of the best-known online shopping brands in South Africa.

Getting funding from Tiger Global Management

Smith said that they received funding from New York-based venture capital firm Tiger Global Management in 2011.

This, Smith said, was a pivotal moment as it resulted in a change in ownership, which ultimately led them to see the company.

With the financial backing from Tiger Global Management, Yuppiechef scaled its operations and improved its infrastructure.

This helped the company to expand its product lines, attract more clients, increase sales, and grow the business.

Yuppiechef also expanded into brick-and-mortar stores, which gave it additional reach and increased awareness.

However, it also came with complications. A few years later, Tiger Global Management wanted to exit the business.

This caused a great deal of stress for Smith and Dryden, who did not have the money needed to buy back the shares.

After behind-the-scenes manoeuvres, they partnered with GetSmarter founder Sam Paddock to buy back the shares.

Paddock funded the buyback and became a shareholder in Yuppiechef, with the main aim of later selling the business and realising a large return.

This is what happened. After the COVID-19 e-commerce boom in South Africa, Smith and Dryden engaged with large retailers about an acquisition.

They settled on Mr Price, and on 1 August 2021, the retailer acquired Yuppiechef for R402 million in cash.

Smith and Dryden initially joined Mr Price, serving as executives within the retailer and driving Yuppiechef’s expansion.

However, they left Mr Price after Yuppiechef was successfully integrated into the retailer’s ecosystem and new management was in place.

Smith said the corporate world did not suit them, as they were natural builders who thrived on early-stage entrepreneurship rather than corporate stewardship.

Brave Hardy is born

After leaving Mr Price, Smith and Dryden retired for a short while. However, it did not last as their entrepreneurial spirit kicked in. A camping trip sparked their next business.

“On our first Monday without a job, Shane and I went camping. We talked for hours on the drive and then huddled around our campfire in the Cederberg,” Smith wrote.

“After so many years of being driven towards a goal, would we be able to apply our minds to nothing for a while?”

“It didn’t take long, though. Just a few hours later, that old urge to build something new started twitching again.”

He said that Dryden was immersed in the world of 4×4 camping, and asked the inevitable question: “What about a Yuppiechef for outdoor gear?”.

Dryden suggested the name, Brave Hardy. “Have you checked if the domain is available?” Smith asked.

“There in the campsite, barely within cell phone range, Shane bought BraveHardy.com for nine dollars.”

They took a few months off to relax and rest, spend time with their families, do home repairs, and think about their next move.

By mid-2023, Smith and Dryden were ready to commit and began building their new e-commerce business, Brave Hardy.

Smith said that, unlike Yuppiechef, they are only focusing on building a sustainable business, which allows them to do what they love.

Although there are no handwritten cards, they continue to look for ways to show their clients that there are ‘real people on the other side of the Internet’.