TASTE OF TRIUMPH: Sophia Karbowski, Co-Founder of realsy

By Maureen Callahan

Karbowski and business partner Austin Patry at the Forbes 30 Under 30 event.

CEO and Co-Founder of realsy, Sophia Karbowski, got tired of searching for a nutritious grab-n-go snack. “My business partner, Austin Patry, and I often walked up and down grocery store aisles as we searched for something healthy. We always ended up in the produce section trying to piece together a snack,”

Karbowski relayed. “We usually bought some type of nut butter along with the fruit to make it more substantial, but a lot of those products have fillers in them. It negated the quality of a fresh fruit snack.”

Constantly finding themselves back at square one, they dreamt up a healthy snack that combined produce with protein. The result is a fresh, pitted Medjool date filled with almond butter, peanut butter, or a peanut butter/cacao mix.

The dates have gained a ton of traction with those seeking better snacking alternatives. It’s been a journey – with ups and downs – but a positive one with success around every corner. Now, with realsy dates available in almost two-thousand locations nationwide, Karbowski and Patry stand to revolutionize the snacking industry.

Huge accolades came late last fall when the pair appeared on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. It’s the place any serious young entrepreneur wants to be as company visibility increases exponentially. All winners must be under 30 years of age, but even for these young industrialists, getting there is a monumental task.

Approximately 10,000 hopefuls across 20 categories are nominated.

Karbowski and Patry were two of 600 winners to receive the honor.

The process is a lengthy one. It starts by getting nominations – lots of them – and not just from friends and family. “We tried our hand at getting the award last year, but we didn’t really give it our all,” said Karbowski. “I don’t know that our sales were actually there in 2023,” she said. But for realsy, 2024 was a different story altogether. The now-profitable company closed the books in 2024 with $1.5 million in revenue. And this year’s estimates are upwards of $8 million.

“This year, some friends of ours in the industry nominated us. A few past winners of the Food & Drink category also sent nominations on our behalf, so that probably carried more weight to the judges,” Karbowski explained.

After a company applies, they hope to catch the eye of the judges. Stand-outs are notified to fill out more comprehensive forms. “It’s a very detailed application. They read through the growth and discrepancies from the previous year,” Karbowski relayed. If they find an enterprise particularly interesting, they request samples. “From there, you wait,” she said. “Everyone finds out at the same minute of the same day.”

That day is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Karbowski and Patry were thrilled to hear the big news. “I called Austin (who lives in Fort Worth) right away, and we congratulated each other.”

Shortly afterward, they met up in New York to celebrate with the other winners. Although it’s on the winner’s own dime to attend the victory festivities, Karbowski and Patry recommend it. This year, Chelsea Pier Lighthouse, an event space with million-dollar views of the Manhattan skyline, hosted the celebration. “A former Food & Drink category winner held an event for this year’s successes the night before,” said Karbowski. “Ours was the only category who did something together before the big celebration for everyone.

It was great to actually meet a lot of impactful people. Forbes set up a channel for all of us to create a community to keep in touch, too, so it’s been very helpful.”

It’s not surprising Forbes would notice these two. Last year saw so much growth for realsy. The company added around 800 new retailers. And not just in the typical outlets of grocery chains, Amazon and direct website orders.

Karbowski and Patry have creatively brainstormed their way into non-traditional channels in the food service and convenience sector, such as airport concourse stores. Professional NBA and NHL franchises are also among their clients, both for their players and as a concession item at their stadiums.

They’re also selling to corporate campuses – think Spotify, Gap, Netflix, Meta, and Bank of America – for employee snacks. The snacks are often available at no cost to employees, so it’s a giant no-risk trial. And campuses are now looking for healthier snacks in substitution for historically processed and unhealthy work snacks.

For realsy, success in this setting required flexibility – something that doesn’t faze Karbowski and Patry. A budget-friendly version for companies pricing in-house snacks for employees had to be created. To make this possible, a single-wrapped date option in every flavor was added to the product line – another big change last year.

“We knew it would be worth it for the number of people we would reach,” said Karbowski. “So, we adapted to fit their budget parameters.”

By now, this pair knows how to adapt to what works. realsy is not their first rodeo. Karbowski and Patry met as business students at Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth eight years ago. Both realized the lack of healthy food options available at the university and in the school’s vicinity. As classmates in an entrepreneurial major, they decided to help fill the gap in nutritious food themselves.

Their first joint venture, Rollin’ Bowlin,’ was acai bowls, a Brazilian fruit purée, mixed with various ingredients such as other fresh fruit, prepared in a food truck. The two pooled their savings, along with funds raised through an Indiegogo Campaign (an online fundraising platform). They parked the food truck down the street from TCU campus. It gained instant popularity. Eventually, additional items such as smoothies and avocado toast were added to the product line.

A year after graduation, TCU allowed them to open a brick-and-mortar space on campus where they accepted meal plan dollars. They grew Rollin Bowlin’ to set up shop on campus at Tulane, Loyola (Chicago), University of
Denver, SMU, Baylor, and Notre Dame. All went well until COVID hit. But even then, these two pivoted quickly to learn how to ship frozen items from their line, such as smoothies, to grocery stores across the country.

The Forbes honor is a sure sign these two are building a solid venture. What’s next for realsy? “We’ve gotten some random requests from café chains in London and Madrid. We haven’t done an international push yet, although the opportunity is there down the line,” said Karbowski. “We’ve looked casually into launching in Canada, but in the end, we still have so much growth opportunity here.” New products for the line are also on the horizon. One thing is for sure – realsy is a promising channel for anyone looking for healthy snack options.

realsy dates are currently flying off the shelves at Jewel-Osco and Fresh Thymes in the Chicagoland area.

For a more comprehensive list of locations or to order online, visit EatRealsy.com.

realsy closed the books with $1.5 million in revenue in 2024.