GOODLES Names Chris Hall as Chief Financial Officer Amid Explosive Growth

The New Mac & Cheese Brand, Already at $100M Run Rate In Cash Registers Sales and Growing More Than 10X Faster Than Its Category, Expands Its Leadership Team

SANTA CRUZ, Calif., Sept. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- GOODLES, the mac and cheese and pasta brand known for its delicious taste, premium nutrition, adventurous flavors, and bold packaging, announces Chris Hall as its new Chief Financial Officer. Hall is a seasoned financial executive with a track record of guiding companies from early-stage startups to Fortune 100 leaders. Most recently as CFO of Sovos Brands, he led that portfolio of CPG brands, which included Rao's, through acquisition by Campbell's for $2.7 Billion. He joins GOODLES as the brand enters a phase of unprecedented growth.

GOODLES has been making waves in the mac and cheese category since hitting shelves 2.5 years ago. Launched as a mac brand not just for kids anymore, GOODLES set out to grow the category by winning over a more sophisticated, health-conscious demographic with clean ingredients, protein, fiber, nutrients, and bold flavors. Its scrappy, playful marketing and rapid product launches have won over fans of all ages across the U.S., and it's now driving most of the category's growth.

Some GOODLES growth indicators, only 2.5 years after the brand's retail debut:

• GOODLES sells one box every second, double last year's rate.
• In 2023, GOODLES' sales more than tripled YoY. This year, sales will more than double.
• More than $2M of GOODLES were bought at cash registers across the US last week alone; which is more than $100M run rate at retail.
• GOODLES' sales are, on average, 67% incremental to the category – coming from net new customers buying mac and cheese for the first time. At one national Mass retailer, 81% of GOODLES shoppers are incremental to the category; at one Club retailer, it's 84% incremental. GOODLES is indeed bringing people back to Mac.
• GOODLES is now delivering higher dollar velocities (Average Weekly Dollars per Store Selling per Item) than 87-year-old Kraft and 35-year-old Annie's¹.
• GOODLES is the #7 fastest-growing natural food brand in all of U.S. grocery².
• Bain identified GOODLES as an Emerging Insurgent Brand, growing more than 10x faster than its category, indicating future Insurgent status.
• In the past 24 weeks, GOODLES dollar sales grew 137%, while all top brands in the category and the overall mac and cheese market declined³.

"GOODLES is experiencing explosive growth, and we're just getting started. GOODLES is only in a fraction of the total possible doors; we are rapidly growing the SKU count in nearly every account we're in, and our new Squeezy Cheese format is a whole new, giant subcategory for us - with yet more innovation to come. As we race to keep up with all this momentum, our focus remains on expanding our rockstar team, which is committed to creating a legendary product and brand to generate legendary business results. Bringing Chris Hall on board is an exciting step forward for us," says Jen Zeszut, Co-Founder and CEO of GOODLES. "Chris's extensive and spot-on experience makes him a powerhouse partner to help drive our continued success."

Chris Hall brings a wealth of experience to GOODLES. He led financial operations at Sovos Brands – home to iconic names like Rao's, Michael Angelo's, and noosa. There, he played a pivotal role in orchestrating a successful IPO and subsequent merger transactions, culminating in the company's acquisition by Campbell's earlier in 2024. Under his leadership, Sovos Brands saw its net sales soar over $1 billion, nearly 7x growth, with a 37.5% CAGR improvement. Prior to joining Sovos, Chris held financial leadership roles as CFO for Nutrabolt and PepsiCo, where he most recently served as CFO for Quaker Foods and Sabra Hummus. He consistently delivered strong financial results and growth initiatives, earning respect as a leader and becoming a sought-after advisor in the industry.

Reflecting on his path from public company CFO to GOODLES, Hall expressed his enthusiasm, "The brands within Sovos were very special. I thought I'd never again see that kind of growth, category incrementality, and brand love. When I connected with Jen and the team and learned about the GOODLES business and how much people love these products, I knew I wanted to be involved in shaping what's possible and driving us there. What GOODLES has accomplished and how fast we've done it is highly unusual." 

Since its launch, GOODLES has won over consumers with its unique twist on classic comfort food. The level of fan love for the brand is strong – fans have shown off GOODLES tattoos, costumes, ballads, poems, commercials, and even homemade GOODLES shoes. Cheddy Mac and Shella Good are the most talked-about Costco items across four states⁴. Available nationwide, learn more at www.goodles.com.

ABOUT GOODLES
GOODLES makes noodles, gooder. The brand launched in November 2021, born out of the idea that mac and cheese is a cornerstone of pleasurable eating and loved by all ages, yet nutrition and deliciousness are too often at odds. Made with a proprietary noodle recipe that looks, tastes, cooks, and chews just like the noodles we all love, all GOODLES mac and cheese and pasta products include protein, fiber, prebiotics, and 21 nutrients from plants. Plus, it's a Low Glycemic Index food and is the first boxed mac and cheese to win the coveted Clean Label Purity Award. Located in Santa Cruz, CA, GOODLES is committed to giving away at least 1% of all products sold to organizations that address food insecurity. For more information on GOODLES, visit www.goodles.com.

1. SPINS Data, MULO, Average Weekly Dollars per Store Selling per Item, 12 weeks ended 8/11/24.
2. SPINS Data, L52 Weeks ending 4.21.24, Natural and MULO sorted by Unit % Change, powered by Circana.
3. SPINS Data, MULO, 24 weeks ended 8/11/24.
4. CouponBirds, by reviewing content on various social media sites like Reddit, Facebook, and X, formerly known as Twitter.

MEDIA CONTACT
Olivia Flores | Carissa Bass
[email protected]
2135428988
www.startrco.com

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