Lauren Benbassat was your typical young professional living in New York City. As a young professional, she was low on time and kitchen space for fueling up but wanted to find a nutritious, quick food solution.
"I was wondering, 'What's a product that has everything I need?' And I want protein as well, not just a carb-based smoothie. I wanted something to make literally at my desk," she said, ultimately not finding anything that fit the bill. "My father was an entrepreneur, so that was my example of how to do things — you go create things for yourself."
But first, she had to give herself a crash course in the consumer packaged goods industry.
"I did not know what I was getting into; I knew nothing about CPG, but I wanted this for myself and my family," she said. "We started tinkering with recipes and would call suppliers, asking, 'How do we package this? How do we blend this?'"
The work paid off. Realm fully launched in 2019. Benbassat, now the company's COO, tapped Elise Tresley as the company's co-founder and CEO after Tresley's tech startup was bought in 2018 for an undisclosed amount.
Realm offers eight nutrient-rich, dried smoothie blends, differing from the grab-and-go frozen smoothies available in the market. Realm users throw in a banana, water, ice and blend with the powder. It can be meant for anyone from the single person working at home to industrial kitchens for universities, hotels and hospitals.
"There's just the efficiency; chefs see, 'I can do this the night before,' and then it's fresh and ready to go in the morning while maintaining consistency; it's a no-brainer," Benbassat said, adding the company is undergoing trials at large universities across the country.
The dry ingredients help the company reduce the potential risk of pathogens, with Benbassat sourcing every supplier versus having a manufacturer outsource.
"We want our hands in every step of the process," she said. "Traceability and food safety are extremely important to me. As a mom, I don't want to mess with people's health; I need to know it's 100% safe."
The company is a direct-to-consumer brand and can be ordered through the website, and also works with hospitality giants, including the Don Cesar in St. Petersburg, Marriott Stanton South Beach and Four Seasons Palm Beach.
Realm has four full-time employees and is currently raising additional funds at an undisclosed amount. It's focused on scaling the direct-to-consumer side and food service businesses, with plans to expand into university dining halls and grab-and-go spots on campus.
"Our vision is to disrupt the food industry," Benbasset said. "[We have] sustainability at the forefront, using innovative manufacturing for zero food waste and a care for a responsible supply chain."
While Tresley lives in Chicago, Benbassat lives in Tampa and believes the city's trajectory will only continue.
"Being in Tampa is helpful — it's just a great place to live, and I see it as an upside of future growth with the business for attracting people to work with us," Benbassat said. "People are flocking to the city, so I see it as a major perk. There are a lot of people to meet, and we're just at the beginning stages of it."
