Goodles Successfully Acquired by Barilla

Longtime KO client GOODLES, the brand that reimagined boxed mac and cheese, has officially closed its acquisition by the Barilla Group, an international, family-owned food company operating in more than 100 countries. Since GOODLES was founded in 2020, we’ve been proud to serve as the company’s legal counsel from formation through financings, explosive growth, complex negotiations, and now this exciting milestone.

“Founders don’t typically RAVE about their company counsel, but I do. Jennifer Rosenthal, Samantha Pjesky and the entire, incredibly talented team over at KO have been by our side from, through all of GOODLES’ explosive growth – the fundraisings, the complex contract negotiations, the many forks in the road, and now our incredible transaction with Barilla – all successfully navigated,” said Jen Zeszut, CEO of GOODLES. “I’m proud of many decisions I’ve made along our company’s journey, but picking KO was one of my best decisions! KO Team, we cannot thank you enough for your hard work and passionate commitment to our business for all these years.”

According to the announcement, the acquisition brings together two brands with a shared commitment to delivering beloved products made with carefully selected ingredients to consumers around the world. GOODLES will remain headquartered in Santa Cruz and continue to operate as an independent, standalone brand under the leadership of co-founder and CEO Jen Zeszut.

KO Managing Partner Jennifer Rosenthal led the deal team. Read more about the acquisition in the press release.