Gooder Foods, Inc., parent company to GOODLES mac and cheese (and pasta!), was founded in Santa Cruz, California by Jennifer Zeszut and Paul Earle in 2020. After a year of work in relative “stealth mode,” their first assortment of GOODLES products dropped in late 2021. That's the short answer. Here’s the full story.

How Jen and Paul Started GOODLES

Before they ever even met, Jen and Paul were each circling around similar ideas independently.

Paul had been tracking the mac and cheese category for years. He saw a massive market, over $4 billion in revenue, that hadn't meaningfully changed in decades. If anything, the mac and cheese world had de-novated… gotten worse. The better-for-you revolution had come for yogurt, snack bars, cereal, pancakes, soda, pizza, even ice cream. But mac and cheese? Nobody had cracked it yet.

Jen was on her own parallel track. A three-time founder who'd previously built and sold a social media startup, then led two more companies, she had just left her CEO role at a food company and told her husband she was done with the startup game.

She didn't keep that promise, however, continuing to dream about the idea of building something to put more good into the world. 

An industry sage connected Jen and Paul. The timing was almost absurdly precise: a month earlier or later, and the window to join forces would have been closed. It took about 15 minutes of conversation for both of them to realize the huge opportunity before them, and the desire to chase it together. They shared the same values, philosophy, and ambitions, and between the two, had everything they needed in order to get rolling: brand vision, category knowledge, operator chops, and the internal hardwiring required to start something from nothing.

Built During a Pandemic

Remember 2020? Quite a time. Lockdowns, cultural unrest, division, crippling uncertainty everywhere. Actually, good timing to create something new that gushed comfort and joy; a bright zag to the dark zig. It wasn’t easy, though: because of Covid restrictions, Jen and Paul didn't actually meet in person until five months after forming the company! They built out the brand, strategy, vision, team, and other key foundations over endless video conferences, and marathon phone calls while walking alone, worlds apart.

What came next was a torrent of rejection. They pitched over 100 investors and heard "no" again and again. Nobody thought a scrappy mac and cheese startup could compete against the giants. Or, someone else was doing this already, they were told. But they kept going, and eventually found a handful of believers willing to bet on the team, the brand, and a better version of something everyone already loved.

They pulled together an incredible collection of people, starting with Molly Michet, a culinary magician who had led product development for many major brands, and Deb Luster, a former president of one of the biggest natural mac and cheese companies in the country. Building out the team further, Jen recalls that it was like assembling an Ocean's Eleven crew: she and Paul recruited the very best specialists they knew, ringers all. Enter Heather Wood and Dan Chodrow as brand aces, and other stars. Soon enough, GOODLES rented an office they couldn't quite afford, thinking they had to be bold in order to do something meaningful. During that period, GOODLES adopted a little unicorn as its mascot: out of the impossible, wonder.

1,000 Versions and a Humble Launch

Making a noodle packed with protein, fiber, and nutrients that still tasted like the mac and cheese people actually craved took over a thousand tries (yes, really). When testing finally showed a 92% switch rate (even at roughly two to three times the price of Kraft), they knew they were ready.

GOODLES launched in late 2021 with four flavors. They sold out in two weeks. Today the brand is selling approximately 3 boxes every second, every day, and is in tens of thousands of stores nationwide, including Target, Walmart, Costco, and Whole Foods. Fans send in photos of GOODLES tattoos, Halloween costumes, and birthday party themes. The brand broke through fast in a category where the biggest names have been around for generations.

GOODLES is getting big now, recognized by Bain & Co. as one of the fastest-growing brands in the United States. But not that long ago, GOODLES was just an idea. We'll never forget the challenging operating environment, the rejections, the all-day Zoom jams, or the thousand-plus noodle experiments that got us here. And to our OGers (Original GOODLESers) who've been with us from the beginning: thank you.

GOODLES FAQs

• Who founded GOODLES?

GOODLES was cofounded by CEO Jen Zeszut and Paul Earle in 2020. 

• Who owns GOODLES?

GOODLES’ parent company, Gooder Foods, Inc., has over 125 different owners, including all of its employees, and is not controlled by any one individual, fund, or large legacy company. Over several capital raises, its Series Seed lead is Springdale Ventures, based in Texas; its Series A lead is L Catterton, based in Connecticut.

• Where is GOODLES headquartered?

GOODLES is headquartered in Santa Cruz, California. All of its products are sourced and manufactured entirely in the United States.

• When did GOODLES launch?

GOODLES launched in late 2021 with four mac and cheese flavors that sold out within two weeks.