Gal Gadot’s business venture Goodles is headed for a major change after Italian food giant Barilla agreed to acquire the fast-growing mac-and-cheese company. The deal marks a significant milestone for a brand that launched online in 2021 and positioned itself as a more nutritious alternative to traditional boxed mac and cheese. However, Barilla and Goodles have not disclosed the purchase price, meaning there is currently no confirmed figure for how much the company is worth in the transaction or how much Gadot could personally receive.
Goodles was founded in 2020 by Jen Zeszut and Paul Earle and later brought Gadot into the business as a founding partner. The company developed products emphasizing protein, fiber and added nutrients while maintaining the familiar appeal of macaroni and cheese. According to The Wall Street Journal, Goodles captured 7.8% of U.S. consumer spending on shelf-stable mac and cheese during the 12 months ending June 2026, up dramatically from 0.8% three years earlier.
How Goodles Became a Major Mac-and-Cheese Challenger
Goodles began during the pandemic, when Zeszut and Earle set out to modernize a category dominated by established names such as Kraft and Velveeta. The founders say the development process involved more than 1,000 recipe versions before they settled on products that delivered the desired combination of taste and nutrition. Goodles launched with four varieties in late 2021 and reportedly sold out within two weeks.
The company subsequently expanded into major retailers including Target, Walmart, Costco and Whole Foods. Goodles also moved beyond traditional boxed mac and cheese with microwaveable cups and protein-focused pasta products, helping it broaden its consumer base.
Gadot became involved at an early stage rather than serving simply as a celebrity spokesperson. Goodles has identified her as a founding partner, and she previously described her involvement in developing the brand and its products. In a 2022 Goodles announcement about its Whole Foods expansion, Gadot said the company’s goal was to combine “clean ingredients, nutrients, protein, prebiotics and high fiber” with a product that remained delicious.
The company’s growth accelerated considerably after its launch. Goodles became profitable in 2024, while its share of the U.S. shelf-stable mac-and-cheese market climbed from 0.8% to 7.8%. Its 2023 funding round valued the company at $88 million, according to PitchBook data cited by The Wall Street Journal.
The biggest unanswered question is how much Barilla is paying for Goodles. Current reporting confirms that the financial terms remain private, so estimates about the acquisition value should not be treated as confirmed figures.
Goodles’ current market share and profitability suggest the company could command a substantially higher valuation than its $88 million figure from 2023. The original estimate presented by Celebrity Net Worth places the potential transaction somewhere around $350 million to $600 million, with approximately $450 million used as a midpoint. That is an independent estimate rather than a disclosed deal value.
Gadot’s potential payout is even harder to determine because her exact ownership percentage has never been publicly confirmed. If her stake were around 7% to 12%, as estimated by Celebrity Net Worth, a hypothetical $450 million acquisition could translate to roughly $31.5 million to $54 million before taxes and other transaction costs.
Those figures remain speculation. Until Barilla or Goodles disclose the purchase price and Gadot’s ownership stake, there is no reliable way to determine her actual proceeds. What is clear is that her early investment in Goodles could become one of the most notable business successes of her career, while the brand itself prepares to continue operating as a standalone business under CEO Jen Zeszut, with its 73 employees retained.