Goodles brings good-for-you superpowers to mac and cheese lovers

Did you get caught up building your virtual both and miss the Natural Products Expo Virtual Kickoff Keynote, featuring Wonder Woman's latest blockbuster?

Fortunately, you can hop on your invisible jet and zoom back in time—or save your invisible carbon offset for your flight to Anaheim and read on.

Goodles founding member, Wonder Woman herself Gal Gadot, and Jen Zeszut, Goodles co-founder, discussed natural product superpowers, disrupting the CPG universe and launching a product that sold out in two weeks. Jessica Rubino, New Hope Network's executive director of content, hosted the conversation.

"Goodles are noodles … gooder," Zeszut says. "The thing that defines them is taste. We found a way to pack in more protein, more fiber and nutrients from plants in a product that tastes, cooks and smells just like the mac and cheese we all know and love." Available in four varieties, each serving contains 15 grams of protein, 6 grams of fiber, prebiotics and 21 nutrients.

When Gadot heard about the company's quest to innovate one of her favorite "cheat" meals, she jumped right on board, she says.

"For years, I've had mac and cheese after a week of long training, ruining it all with a meal full of empty carbs. There's a true need for this," she says. "Different brands have been trying to make it better, but never really landed with the taste and the nutrients."

The team, including Gadot and Zeszut's daughters, tested over 1,000 gooey variations until they found the right recipes.

"We waited to launch until we knew it was perfect," Gadot says. "We wanted to make sure it was going to be a game-changer. We were so overwhelmed by the amazing feedback and response we got."

Identifying a cross-demographic craving for mac and cheese that won't spike guilt or blood pressure and perfecting the recipe were not the only keys to selling oodles of Goodles in just a few weeks. The "Good" branding fuels the company's disruptive power.

"'Doing Gooder' is part of the core DNA of Goodles," Gadot says. "It makes you feel good and it's good for you."

The goodness doesn't stop after you've scraped the last bit of cheese from the bottom of the bowl, either. Goodles donates 1% of products sold to organizations fighting food insecurity. The brand's first partner is celebrity chef José Andrés' World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit that delivers fresh meals to people harmed by natural disasters and other crises.

"I'm a big believer in the ripple effect of goodness," says Gadot. "We really want to create a Gooder community that shares these values and does it in the most fun way." The larger Gooder movement seeks to give people permission to love their favorite foods while mobilizing people to spread acts of kindness into the world.

What kinds of acts of kindness? Encourage people to "go do a kind ding-dong-ditch"—leave a gift on a doorstep, ring the doorbell and run, says Zeszut. Send a unicyclist dressed as a unicorn to deliver mac and cheese to people stuck in line at the DMV.

"We started this brand in a really dark time. In many ways, we started with a mission first—to make, be and do gooder. Everyone has the power to put good things into the world and let ripples happen," Zeszut adds.

The co-founders were tight-lipped about what's next for the brand, but hinted at upcoming announcements on the product, partner and retailer fronts. Meanwhile, they're prepping for Natural Products Expo West where the Goodles team will be showing up in a big way--maybe even branded roller skates.

Watch the recorded session to learn more about Goodles' Expo plans and get advice on launching a brand. Goodles is at Booth N2035 and this Virtual Booth.

This keynote conversation kicked off a year of activities on our community platform, Natural Products Expo Virtual. Discover thousands of amazing companies, more pre-show programming and livestreamed sessions including Climate Day, Pitch Slam, and the State of the Natural & Organic Industry keynote. To learn more, see a 2022 calendar of virtual events and register, visit Natural Products Expo Virtual Community.