Italian pasta maker Barilla is set to acquire Goodles, the boxed mac-and-cheese brand known for its nutritional noodles and fun flavors.
The California-based company, which has Wonder Woman actor Gal Gadot as a founding partner, focuses on making a beloved comfort food more nutritious. Goodles was valued at $88 million after a 2023 funding round and turned its first profit in 2024.
However, the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Goodles was founded in October 2020 and began marketing its products around “premium nutrition, bold flavors, and a brand identity designed to appeal beyond the traditional children’s mac and cheese segment,” the company said in a press release Wednesday.
The brand boasts unique flavors with amusing names, such as Here Comes Truffle, Down the Hatch, Smokey Dokey and Thrilled Cheese, among others, as well as a variety of protein pasta that packs 21 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber. The healthier mac-and-cheese is sold at a variety of grocers, including Target, Walmart and Whole Foods.
open image in galleryShould the deal close, Goodles will continue to operate as a standalone brand out of its Santa Cruz headquarters.
Goodles says its 73-person team will be retained, with Jen Zeszut, another co-founder, staying on as CEO.
“Ninety-two percent of the U.S. population hasn’t even tried Goodles yet, so we’re just getting started,” Zeszut told The Wall Street Journal.
“It was really either us choosing to get big on our own and raising a bunch of money and hiring a bunch of people,” she said, or finding a bigger partner with greater funding.
Guido Barilla, chairman of the Barilla Group, said in a statement that the company was impressed by the strength of the Goodles brand, the quality of its products and how quickly it has grown.
open image in gallery“As we got to know the management team, led by Jen Zeszut, we were equally impressed by the strength of the organization, its unity, and its forward-looking mindset,” Barilla said. “Together, these qualities convinced us that Goodles was the right choice and represents an exciting opportunity for the future.”
Barilla says the deal will close following regulatory approval.
“I know that consumers are going to probably be like, ‘Oh no, Goodles is going to get gutted’ and worry that the ingredients will change,” Zeszut said. “That’s totally natural. There’s many data points from many other companies to make them feel that way, and the only thing we can say is, ‘Just watch us.’”