Barilla Group to Acquire Better-For-You Mac & Cheese Brand Goodles

International food company Barilla Group will acquire better-for-you mac and cheese brand Goodles. Under the deal, Goodles will continue to operate independently, with co-founder and CEO Jen Zeszut remaining at the helm.

Founded in 2020, Goodles is headquartered in Santa Cruz, California. The company said its headquarters will be unchanged through the acquisition.

Goodles will become a standalone brand under the Barilla Group umbrella, maintaining control over its products, recipes, quality standards, ingredients, suppliers and marketing. At the same time, its position under Barilla will allow the mac and cheese brand to innovate and scale internationally.

[RELATED: Ferrero Group Acquiring Purely Elizabeth]

Goodles is currently distributed across the United States through major retailers and independent grocers. The company said that, while it's seen significant market penetration, adding about 2 million new customers in the last 90 days, more than 90% of American consumers have yet to try its products.

“Our mission has been to positively impact as many lives as possible with our delicious mac and cheese, and we are so proud of the millions of lives we’ve touched," Zeszut said. "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. 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. The Barilla Group loves us just the way we are, from our barely-running dune buggy to our over-flowing-with-joy HQ office in Santa Cruz! We’re not changing a thing."

The acquisition is subject to customary regulatory approvals. Goodles currently employs a team of 73.

This article first appeared on the site of CGT sister brand Progressive Grocer.