On May 6th, 2026, we got an email that hit us straight in the feels: "Hi GOODLES!! My friends and I decided to make our AP Stats project about GOODLES being the superior mac and cheese brand!! We are your biggest fans and LIVE LAUGH LOVE GOODLES." It was signed by Inika, on behalf of herself and three classmates — Stella, Ema, and Marta — four high schoolers at Westlake High School who wanted to see if their classmates could clock the difference between GOODLES and Kraft Mac & Cheese. Not looking for a brand deal. Just taking a smarty-pants stats class and thought of us. Swoon.

The Hypothe-Sauce: Can People Actually Taste the Difference?

Inika, Stella, Ema, and Marta wanted to test something we talk about constantly — that swapping in GOODLES doesn't mean sacrificing taste. So they built a real, randomized experiment. They recruited about 25 people from Westlake High, blindfolded each participant, randomly assigned which mac and cheese they tried first, and asked them to guess which one was GOODLES. Then they ran the numbers, the same way a professional pollster would. People guessed correctly about as often as they'd guess correctly by flipping a coin, meaning there was no statistically significant evidence that anyone could actually tell GOODLES and Kraft apart. Four teenagers, with a blindfold and a calculator, cooked up a serious hypothe-sauce, and independently backed up a claim we've been making all along.

Our Reply Took About Fifteen Minutes

When Inika followed up two weeks later to say they'd finished the project — and gotten 100% — our team didn't exactly play it cool. Jen, our CEO and self-described "very big data nerd," replied personally within minutes, "Our minds are blown!!! I LOVE this!" She looped in nearly the entire company to see the statistical analysis. Paul, our co-founder, replied with exactly two words: "FAB FOUR." This wasn't a social team drafting a brand-safe response. It was the actual people who run the show here at GOODLES, reacting like fans themselves, because that's what they were at that moment.

From Inbox to Full-Circle 

From there, it turned into a real connection, not just a one-off exchange. We asked them for a 30-second video explaining their findings — cheesy puns encouraged — and got their Instagram handles so we could tag and share. Somewhere in the thread, Paul spotted a Cal sweatshirt in one of their photos and had to ask; turns out Inika and Ema are both future Bears, which put them about an hour from our Santa Cruz headquarters. Jen responded with an open invitation to come visit. What started as a quick email asking for samples turned into an actual back-and-forth — free mac, a fan video, even a standing invitation to visit HQ.

This Is What GOODLES Fandom Looks Like

Inika, Stella, Ema, and Marta picked GOODLES for their AP Stats project for the simplest reason there is, because they're fans. They cold-emailed us, built a real experiment, ran the numbers, and followed up to tell us what they found. A hunch, tested properly, from four bright young minds who just really like our mac and cheese. We're still thinking about it.

FAQ: The Westlake High AP Stats Project

How did GOODLES respond to the students? GOODLES CEO Jen Zeszut and co-founder Paul Earle personally replied to the students, along with much of the leadership team. GOODLES sent the students product, featured their project and findings on social media, and invited them to visit company headquarters in Santa Cruz.

Why does GOODLES share this story? The Westlake project is a favorite example of GOODLES fandom in action. We really have the best fans, and we do it all for you!