If you have spotted a brightly colored box of mac and cheese at Target or Whole Foods with a name that sounds like it belongs in a superhero movie, that is Goodles. It is one of the fastest-growing food brands in America right now — and it has a co-founder who is literally a superhero on screen.
So who actually owns Goodles? The answer involves a pandemic-era startup, over 100 investor rejections, a Wonder Woman, and a $13 million bet from one of the world’s leading consumer investment firms.
What Is Goodles?
Goodles is a better-for-you boxed mac and cheese brand that packs protein, prebiotic fiber, and plant-derived nutrients into its noodles — sourced from real ingredients like broccoli, spinach, kale, sweet potato, and mushrooms — baked directly into the noodle.
Goodles is a product of its parent company Gooder Foods, Inc., headquartered in Santa Cruz, California. It is committed to giving away at least 1% of boxes sold to organizations that address food insecurity.
Who Owns Goodles Right Now in 2026?
Goodles is privately owned by its founding team, its investors, and its celebrity partners through the parent company Gooder Foods, Inc. There is no single majority owner — ownership is distributed across the founding team and a group of institutional and celebrity investors.
The company remains independently owned and headquartered in Santa Cruz, California, with all products sourced and manufactured in the United States. There is no Big Food backing — no Kraft, no Nestlé, no Unilever behind it.
The three people most closely associated with owning and running Goodles are Jen Zeszut (CEO and Co-Founder), Paul Earle (Co-Founder), and Gal Gadot (Founding Partner and actress).
Ownership and Key Stakeholders Table
| Owner / Investor | Role | Stake / Investment | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jen Zeszut | CEO & Co-Founder | Founding equity | Three-time founder; day-to-day leader of the company |
| Paul Earle | Co-Founder | Founding equity | Brand entrepreneur; former Kraft brand manager |
| Gal Gadot | Founding Partner & Celebrity Co-Owner | Founding equity | Award-winning actress; public face and co-builder of the brand |
| Deb Luster | Co-Founder & Chief Impact Officer | Founding equity | Former President of Annie’s mac and cheese |
| Molly Michet | Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer | Founding equity | Led product development for major food brands |
| L Catterton | Lead Series A Investor | Led $13M Series A round | World’s largest luxury & consumer-focused private equity firm |
| Springdale Ventures | Seed Investor | Part of $6.4M seed round | Austin-based consumer-focused VC |
| GingerBread Capital | Series A Investor | Part of $13M round | Consumer food and lifestyle investment firm |
| Third Craft Partners | Seed + Series A Investor | Both rounds | Austin-based early stage investor |
| Electric Feel Ventures | Series A Investor | Part of $13M round | Entertainment and consumer brand VC |
| WME / IMG-Endeavor | Strategic Investor | Part of Series A | World’s largest talent agency; strategic partner |
| Klay Thompson, Aaron Gordon, DK Metcalf | Celebrity Investors | Undisclosed | NBA and NFL stars who invested alongside Gal Gadot |
The Origin Story: A Pandemic Idea That Changed Mac and Cheese
Jen Zeszut — a three-time founder who told her husband she was “done with startups” — and Paul Earle, a brand expert who had spent years watching the mac and cheese category stagnate, connected in 2020. The pitch was simple: mac and cheese is a $4 billion category loved by basically everyone, yet nobody had made a version that was genuinely good for you without losing the taste.
They co-founded Goodles on video calls during the pandemic. They pitched over 100 investors and heard “no” most of the time. Nobody thought a scrappy mac and cheese startup could compete against the giants.
The founding team assembled includes former Cerebelly CEO Jen Zeszut, branding specialist and former Kraft brand manager Paul Earle, and former Annie’s president and co-founder Deb Luster. That last name matters — Deb Luster helped build the biggest natural mac and cheese brand in the country before bringing that same expertise to Goodles.
Gal Gadot’s Role: More Than a Celebrity Face
Many celebrity food brands are little more than a famous face on packaging. Gal Gadot’s involvement with Goodles is genuinely different.
Gal Gadot is a founding partner who co-built the brand from the beginning — not a paid spokesperson who came in after the product was finished. She invested her own money, her name, and her time into building Goodles into a household name.
“I would never have imagined that my favorite meal as a child — mac and cheese — would become a business venture of my own. I am grateful that I can contribute to bringing joy to people’s dining room tables,” said Gal Gadot in a statement. Growing up in Israel, she used to ask family members visiting from the U.S. to bring her boxes of American mac and cheese. That personal connection is what made the brand authentic — not just a business opportunity.
The $13 Million Funding Moment
After their seed round of $6.4 million and explosive early growth, Goodles closed the biggest deal of its young life in September 2023.
Goodles raised $13 million in a Series A funding round led by L Catterton — one of the world’s largest consumer-focused private equity firms managing approximately $34 billion of equity capital. L Catterton has previously backed LVMH-adjacent brands and some of the biggest names in consumer goods globally. Backing Goodles was a strong signal that serious institutional money believed the brand could challenge Kraft and Annie’s long-term.
L Catterton was joined by existing investors including Springdale, Third Craft Partners, Willow Growth, Alumni Ventures, GingerBread Capital, IMG-Endeavor, Cosmic VC, and Electric Feel Ventures. The total funding raised by Goodles across all rounds now stands at approximately $22.9 million.
How Fast Is Goodles Growing?
The numbers tell the real story. Goodles achieved 33 times growth in 2022 and was on pace to triple its sales the following year. The brand expanded from 4 flavors at launch to over 12 SKUs, and is now available at over 35,000 points of retail distribution across the country, including Target, Whole Foods, Publix, HEB, Wegman’s, and Sprouts Markets.
Goodles has been recognized by Bain & Co. as one of the fastest-growing brands in the United States. That recognition from one of the world’s top management consulting firms confirms what the sales numbers already suggest — this is not a celebrity vanity project. It is a real, fast-growing business.
Is Goodles Owned by Kraft or Any Big Food Company?
No — and this is one of the most important things to understand about Goodles. The company remains independently owned with no Big Food backing. Kraft Heinz, Nestlé, Conagra, and Unilever have no ownership interest in Goodles whatsoever.
That independence is a deliberate strategic choice. “We can’t outspend our deep-pocketed, big-brand competition. We have to be more authentic and more unexpected and go places they simply cannot,” said Jen Zeszut, CEO and co-founder of Goodles.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Who owns Goodles mac and cheese in 2026?
Goodles is privately owned by Gooder Foods, Inc., co-founded by Jen Zeszut, Paul Earle, Gal Gadot, Deb Luster, and Molly Michet.
Q2. Does Gal Gadot own Goodles?
Yes. Gal Gadot is a founding partner and co-owner of Goodles — not just a celebrity spokesperson.
Q3. Who is the CEO of Goodles?
Jen Zeszut is the CEO and Co-Founder of Goodles, based in Santa Cruz, California.
Q4. When was Goodles founded?
Goodles was co-founded in 2020 by Jen Zeszut and Paul Earle during the pandemic, with the brand officially launching in late 2021.
Q5. How much has Goodles raised in funding?
Goodles has raised approximately $22.9 million in total funding, including a $13 million Series A round led by L Catterton in September 2023.
Q6. Is Goodles owned by Kraft or a big food company?
No. Goodles is completely independent — no Kraft, Nestlé, or any other Big Food company has any ownership stake.
Q7. Where is Goodles available?
Goodles is available at over 35,000 retail locations including Target, Whole Foods, Publix, Wegman’s, and Sprouts Markets, plus online.
Q8. Is Goodles a publicly traded company?
No. Goodles is a privately held company and is not listed on any stock exchange.
Goodles is privately owned by Gooder Foods, Inc. — the parent company behind the brand — and is controlled by its founding team of Jen Zeszut, Paul Earle, Gal Gadot, Deb Luster, and Molly Michet. The company has raised approximately $22.9 million in total funding, with L Catterton leading its $13 million Series A round in September 2023.
It remains completely independent from Big Food, is headquartered in Santa Cruz, California, and manufactures all its products in the United States. From 100+ investor rejections during a pandemic to one of the fastest-growing food brands in America — Goodles is one of the most compelling startup stories in the modern food industry.