Barilla Acquires GOODLES as Mac and Cheese Challenger Reaches 7.8% Category Share

Barilla is acquiring GOODLES, the shelf-stable mac and cheese brand founded in 2020 by Jen Zeszut and Paul Earle, in a deal whose financial terms were not disclosed. GOODLES will continue to operate independently under Barilla following the transaction.

The acquisition comes after GOODLES built a notable growth record in the U.S. shelf-stable mac and cheese category, growing its market share from 0.8% to 7.8% in three years and reaching profitability in 2024, per the company. It had raised $19.4 million to date, including a $13 million Series A led by L Catterton, and carried an $88 million valuation in 2023. GOODLES sells boxed and cup formats across a wide range of flavors, including classic cheddar, white miso alfredo, chili garlic cheddar, and asiago, with gluten-free and vegan options also in the lineup.

Why it matters

Barilla's move into the modern mac and cheese segment reflects a pattern that has become familiar in legacy food: a major incumbent acquiring a challenger brand that has already done the hard work of demonstrating a new consumer proposition inside a mature category. GOODLES built meaningful share in a segment long controlled by a handful of large national brands, and its speed to profitability, a relative rarity among venture-backed food startups, likely made the business an attractive target at a well-defined valuation. For Barilla, the deal offers a foothold in a growing segment without the cost and risk of building a brand from scratch. The L Catterton involvement is also significant; the firm has a consistent track record of backing brands through to strategic exits, and the Series A it led appears to have served that function here.

What to watch

The central open question is whether GOODLES can sustain its challenger-brand momentum inside one of the world's largest pasta companies. Independent operation under a strategic parent can preserve brand equity, but shared distribution infrastructure and corporate scale often change the trajectory of acquisitions in this size range. How Barilla deploys its retail relationships on GOODLES' behalf, and whether the brand's market share gains continue at the same pace under new ownership, will be the clearest measure of whether the deal delivers on its strategic rationale.

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Sources

• Goodles