Stephen Montoya
When you’re sitting in a college classroom at TCU, you never quite know where the friendships you’re making will lead. For Sophia Karbowski and Austin Patry, their shared passion for health and wellness not only led them to become friends, but also business partners.
They are now two of the newest members of the 2025 “Forbes 30 Under 30” in the category of Food and Drink, learning this week they had been selected for one of the legendary magazine’s most prestigious honors.
Karbowski and Patry have successfully found a foothold in the healthy snack market.
Their consumer package goods brand Realsy, which officially launched in 2022, began filling a different niche within the market. Featuring dates stuffed with almond or peanut butter, their products are now on shelves at retailers like Central Market and Wegmans, in American Airlines Admirals Clubs throughout Texas and Tennessee, and they are set to launch in more than 70 airport convenience stores nationwide in January.
“We really didn’t know we were on the list until it came out,” says Karbowski. “But we had a feeling. This year, we really pushed for nominations and worked closely with ‘Forbes,’ sharing all the details about where we were in our growth.”
The two made a seven-figure exit with Rollin’ n Bowlin’s TCU flagship location, according to Forbes, selling to Smart Shake. The entrepreneurs “wound down” the other locations, according to The DFW CPG Insider.
Forbes
Forbes notes: “One year and a seven-figure sale later, Patry and Karbowski launched their CPG company: Realsy. Taking inspiration from their diverse cultural backgrounds (Patry counts french ancestry and Karbowski with Italian and Palestinian "would-be" cooks in her family) and the thousands of viral videos of nut butter-filled dates made at home, they created the first line of shelf-stable nut butter filled Medjool dates with no additives. Realsy currently sells 6 SKUs that can be found online through its website and Amazon storefront, in grocery stores like Wegmans and Giant Eagle and specialty stores including Juice Press and Gregory's Coffee.”
The company is profitable and projects to make $1.5 million in revenue this year, according to the magazine.
Karbowski lives in Chicagoland. Patry lives in Fort Worth.
It was just a few years ago, in a senior-year entrepreneurship class, that Patry and Karbowski first crossed paths. At the time, they had no idea that their partnership would eventually take them from brainstorming in lecture halls to running a nationwide business.
After graduating in 2017, the pair embarked on a mission to introduce a healthier snack option to the Fort Worth area by launching Rollin’ n Bowlin’, a food truck offering acai bowls packed with fresh ingredients. It was the perfect fit for a college community, and the response was immediate.
“We started small,” says Karbowski, “with a food truck at TCU’s Student Union, hoping to gauge if people would even be into the concept.”
It wasn’t long before they found their idea was resonating with their peers. The food truck began attracting long lines at TCU, with students flocking for an alternative to typical fast-food options. But it wasn’t only students who noticed. TCU’s administration reached out, offering them a chance to open up shop inside the student recreation center, a major turning point in their budding business.
Karbowski and Patry, however, weren’t content with stopping at campus food stalls. They knew they had something bigger on their hands. After a successful run at TCU, the duo started expanding, first opening several other locations nationwide on college campuses. As they grew, they quickly realized that to reach even more people, they needed to expand in a way that many other startups might not have considered.
Rather than focusing exclusively on direct-to-consumer sales, they chose to hone in on wholesale and retail distribution — a move that would later help them rise in the competitive landscape of food startups.
For the two, the pivot to working directly with farmers and focusing on retail was about more than just profits. It was about ensuring their mission —creating accessible, delicious, and healthy food — remained at the heart of everything they did.
The duo’s perseverance, especially in terms of sales, played a pivotal role in earning them the recognition. But what truly sets their success apart is their unwavering commitment to innovation and transparency.
“We’re always looking for ways to get closer to the source of our ingredients,” Karbowski says. “We work directly with the farmers, and that’s a big part of how we operate.”
In 2025, they expect to continue their rapid growth, with plans to expand their footprint even further in both the retail and food service sectors. They’re also laser-focused on refining their supply chain and logistics, ensuring they’re able to meet the increased demand.
“We weren't shy about promoting our business,” Karbowski says. “We talked to literally anyone from the Kroger checkout employees when we were buying pounds and pounds of bananas for recipe testing to business owners in Fort Worth. We told the masses what we wanted to do, and that gave us so many ideas.”