Wonder Woman’s Gal Gadot Co-Launches Healthy Version Of Mac And Cheese, Goodles

The “huge” secret Gal Gadot teased her nearly 67 million Instagram followers with earlier this month is finally out – Goodles, a healthy version of the traditional mac ‘n’ cheese the Wonder Woman actress cofounded is officially available on the market through direct-to-consumer.

Goodles, operated under parent company Gooder Foods, has become the latest brand after Banza and Annie’s (acquired by General Mills

GIS
for $820 million in 2014) to take on the $4.4 billon dry noodles market, amping up a strong rivalry with Kraft Heinz which still accounts for a lion’s share of mac ‘n’ cheese sales in the U.S.

During an exclusive interview recently, Gadot noted how joining Goodles as a cofounder was a no-brainer since mac ‘n’ cheese has been her all-time favorite since age six. “As a little girl living in Israel,” Gadot told me, “my uncle and aunt used to come visit from America, and you know what their gift was for me? A bag filled with mac ‘n’ cheese boxes. That’s how much I love it.”

The award-winning superstar and model revealed how mac ‘n’ cheese later became her cheat meal as the Mediterranean diet she grew up with focuses heavily on whole vegetables, fruit and healthy carbs. Gadot grew increasingly frustrated with not being able to find a healthier mac ‘n’ cheese after seeing many traditional food and beverage items reinvented with better-for-you ingredients over the years.

“Mac ‘n’ cheese has never been updated. The old recipe is just plainly not good for you,” Gadot said. “Goodles is offering a better version of something that people love, and if I can make their life a bit healthier… I would be more than happy to do that.”

Creating Impact On Mass Market

The venture-backed food startup, which has raised a $3.79 million seed funding in October led by Springdale Ventures (joining Goodles’ board) with additional participations by 1st Course Capital and Alumni Ventures Group, has also garnered an executive team with deep consumer goods experience, including former Cerebelly CEO, Jennifer Zeszut; former Kraft brand manager, Paul Earle; as well as Deb Luster, former president of Annie’s Mac & Cheese division.

“As the founding president of Annie’s over 30 years ago, we proudly built one of the first multimillion-dollar companies focused on authenticity, transparency and genuine connection to our customers and community,” said Luster, who currently serves as Chief Impact Officer at Goodles.

“Since then, I have helped to grow dozens of companies focusing on three P’s: Product, Purpose and the People,” she added. “Goodles is the culmination of all these learnings – my full circle moment back to mac ’n’ cheese, authentic idealism and genuine brand magic.”

According to Zeszut, their partnerships have been in the making over the past three years, and it took more than 1,000 recipes for her team to perfect their flavor and nutrition profile that currently includes 14g of protein, 6g of fiber, and 21 nutrients from organic vegetables per serving.

“We wanted to create an impact [on the mass market] with great nutrition,” she said, stressing how Goodles’ initial product is made with dairy cheese and wheat flour, while delivering fewer calories and more probiotics than its competitors. Goodles also became the first clean label certified mac ‘n’ cheese brand after being tested for over 400 contaminants to ensure its safety. 

“We’re really excited as far as our go to market,” added Zeszut, “and obviously direct-to-consumer is the place to start – that’s where we can create the most immersive experience with our community, which we call ‘do-gooders’. They’ve been with us co-creating this product as volunteers from the beginning.” 

Goodles will eventually become available through omnichannel, according to Zeszut, with several major retail partnerships already underway.

What Do Goodles And Wonder Woman Have In Common?

Gadot promises she will leverage social media to support Goodles’ launch, and notes how the brand is more than just a food product, but is rather something she deeply believes in. It turns out Goodles and her character as the indomitable warrior also share many thing in common, according to Gadot herself:

“First of all, Goodles, like the name Wonder Woman, they only want to do good things in the world. Wonder Woman cares about kids and humanity, and so does Goodles,” she said. “Honestly, when I look at it, their set of values are very similar: It’s about humanity and positivity, and I think this is something that we managed to achieve with Goodles.”