Jesse Newman

And that is the beginning of a mac and cheese product, a brand called Goodles.

And Goodles, as you might guess from the name, they pitch it as this really fun, healthier take on an old classic.

They call it Noodles Gooder.

They hit on what they think is a really key insight, which is that mac and cheese isn't just for kids.

They think there's a whole different group out there that is either secretly eating mac and cheese, this being sort of young adults, and so they target a very different population.

And Google says, look, we're bringing in this higher income consumer, this younger consumer.

It's exactly the type of consumer that grocery stores are trying to bring back to the center of the store.

It's exactly the type of consumer that, you know, some of the incumbents are losing.

executives weren't super worried initially.

Now, employees at Kraft Hans, that was another story.

That's after the break.

So the Chetty Mac, it was decided, tasted pretty good.

On the other flavors, you know, opinions varied.

And the sense was that there was more work that was needed.

And it was particularly the texture that was described to me as a bit iffy.

They started telling executives at Kraft Heinz, hey, you know, we might have a problem here.

Every major retailer has a new mac and cheese brand.

You know, they've been dealing with competition from Annie's.

And more broadly, they're seeing that consumers are, they're leaving the mac and cheese category altogether.

They are turning to other quick foods like ramen, which comes on the scene with a lot of new exciting flavors.