Gal Gadot’s Goodles Mac-and-Cheese Startup Acquired by Pasta Giant Barilla

Goodles, the mac-and-cheese brand co-founded by actress Gal Gadot, announced that it clinched a deal to be acquired by the Barilla Group, the world’s largest pasta company.

Gadot, best known for portraying Wonder Woman in DC’s superhero films, and her husband, Jaron Varsano, are co-founders of the Goodles brand, which is marketed as a more nutritious alternative to other mac-and-cheese products in the market.

With Barilla’s acquisition of Goodles, it’s unclear how Gadot might be involved with the brand going forward. Variety has reached out to representatives of Goodles for comment.

Financial terms of Barilla’s deal to buy Goodles were not disclosed. Upon the close of the merger, pending regulatory approval, Goodles will remain headquartered in Santa Cruz, California, and will continue to operate independently as a stand-alone brand. Goodles co-founder and CEO Jen Zeszut will continue to lead the 73-employee team.

Founded in October 2020 as Gooder Foods, Goodles “was born out of the idea that everyone’s favorite comfort food, mac and cheese, could be more nutritious, incredibly delicious and bring joy,” the company says. “Goodles and the Barilla Group share several common values, including a passion for food and an obsession with quality and taste. This acquisition will strengthen both brands’ commitment to bring beloved products, made with carefully selected ingredients, to the tables of people around the world.”

Guido Barilla, chairman of the Barilla Group, said his company had been “following Goodles closely for some time and became increasingly impressed by the strength of the brand, the quality of its products and the momentum behind its growth.” He added in a statement, “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. Together, these qualities convinced us that Goodles was the right choice and represents an exciting opportunity for the future.”

According to Zeszut, more than 90% of people in the U.S. have never tried Goodles, “so we’ve only just begun! This brand wants to spread its wings and keep doing our weird and wonderful thing, so that we can have an even bigger impact – eventually on a global scale.”

Zeszut added, “I could not dream up a better partner for our little brand and our beloved, hard-working team. We chose the Barilla Group because they can help us innovate and grow internationally while letting us make gooder decisions and maintain our quality.”