Consumers today crave convenient, healthy snacks they can feel good about. They want healthier options with more flavor, satisfaction, and transparency. However, creating a mess-free, shelf-stable snack without compromising taste or nutrition is challenging. realsy understands this need and created snacks that are the perfect pick-me-up, pre-workout fuel, and guilt-free treat, proving that health and convenience can go hand in hand. In this episode, Jen talks with Austin Patry and Sophia Karbowski, the Co-Founders of realsy. As young entrepreneurs aspiring to do big things, Austin and Sophia became business partners in college in 2017 while studying entrepreneurship. They started their first business with an unrelenting mission to spread healthy vibes all over the country, growing from a single food truck to health food cafes on college campuses across the country. Since then, Austin and Sophia have entered the CPG (consumer packaged goods) space with a strong desire to make their genuinely nutritious food options more accessible and convenient. Austin and Sophia talk with Jen about their journey from starting a smoothie and acai bowl cafe in college to launching realsy as a consumer packaged goods brand. They discuss how realsy provides a convenient and nutritious snacking option, how they developed their unique product, and the challenges they faced in creating a shelf-stable, mess-free snack. Finally, Austin and Sophia share their vision for the future of realsy and their commitment to providing consumers with clean, convenient snacks. In this episode: [01:15] - How Sophia and Austin became business partners [05:04] - What it takes to produce on-the-go nut butter-filled dates [06:49] - What sets the Medjool date apart from other dates [07:48] - What makes realsy a great snack [10:16] - The ingredients of realsy snack bars [12:27] - Where and how realsy ingredients are produced [14:08] - Where to find realsy products [16:03] - The nutritional benefits of realsy snacks Quotes [04:13] - "We created realsy because dates are a produce item. We decided to take something that was a produce item and make it easier to take on the go, fun, interesting, convenient, and that tastes amazing with the nut butter on the inside." ~ Sophia Karbowski [05:38] - "We wanted to create something shelf-stable that's portable, lightweight, and not a mess. It is not only shelf-stable but also has a consistency that's not oozing out and a little bit thicker." ~ Austin Patry [11:20] - "What does nutrition mean to us? It really is just whole foods and ingredients that you recognize. It's as simple as that." ~ Austin Patry [11:51] - "You shouldn't be eating anything you can't picture holding the separate ingredient in your hand. If you can't imagine what one of the ingredients looks like in the palm of your hand, then you shouldn't be eating it." ~ Sophia Karbowski Links  Austin Patry on LinkedIn Sophia Karbowski on LinkedIn realsy realsy snacks on Instagram Fresh Thyme Hungryroot Connect with our host Jen on Instagram Jen on Facebook Wake Up and Read the Labels! Schedule a 15 Min Breakthrough Chat with a WURL Food Coach! Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify