The story of Erewhon, the supermarket for wealthy people

The New York magazine, The Cut, dedicated its first cover story of November to the hype generated by the opening of Erewhon's tenth location, a chain of luxury supermarkets in Los Angeles that sells organic and natural foods. However, Erewhon is not just a brand in the realm of healthy and organic food. The brand enjoys a certain degree of devotion, driven primarily by TikTok, favored by the fact that it is frequented by the Los Angeles elite and numerous celebrities, who are often photographed sipping Erewhon-branded smoothies on the streets – which have become the company's flagship product. At the grand opening of the new store, approximately 400 influencers were hired, and there was a several-hour-long line to get in. In the first week alone, the store earned over a million dollars. «When you think of something with a Los Angeles style, Erewhon smoothies immediately come to mind,» wrote the Los Angeles Times, speaking about how the brand has become a cult and iconic phenomenon in the California city. «A woman told me she moved from Harlem to Los Angeles 'for Erewhon'; a professor friend describes it as 'a central part of my existence in Los Angeles'» reports journalist Kerry Howley, the author of The Cut's cover story, explaining the level of devotion the chain enjoys. Even American comedian George Civeris didn't hide from Howley that the first thing he does when he lands in Los Angeles is «go to Erewhon to get a $13 smoothie.» Italian content creator Mochohf has also dubbed it «the supermarket for the wealthy» and commented, «Erewhon is a world of its own. It's one of those places that I think can only exist in California. This is a state where when you talk about organic, natural, and healthy, the attention level is off the charts. It's a country full of wealthy people who can afford to spend $30 on fruit.»

The Birth of Erewhon

The story of Erewhon and its success is long and fascinating. It begins in the 1960s when a Japanese couple deeply connected to the macrobiotic food practice gathered a small community of health food enthusiasts, including several members of the hippie movement. They were Michio and Aveline Kushi, and in 1966, they started selling organic foods in a small shop in Boston. Two years later, they opened their first true store in Los Angeles, which they named Erewhon, an anagram of "Nowhere," inspired by a satirical novel by the English writer Samuel Butler, which was much loved by Georges Ohsawa. The latter was a pioneer of macrobiotics, a dietary philosophy based on the consumption of whole grains and vegetables, excluding industrially processed foods (such as white sugar or soft drinks), and limiting the consumption of animal-derived foods. According to this philosophy, which draws from Eastern medicine inspired by Taoism, by choosing the right foods, it would be possible to achieve a state of harmony in the body and mind, improving people's daily lives. More generally, the efforts of the Kushi couple to promote a healthy lifestyle had a lasting impact on American food culture, making a small part of the population more aware of the importance of a balanced and natural diet. The couple wrote and published several books on macrobiotic culture, some of which were translated and spread in Italy.

How Erewhon Became Erewhon

Thanks to the Kushis, the Erewhon brand had become an important reference point for natural and organic food in the United States and beyond. However, the real turning point occurred in 2011 when another couple, entrepreneurs Tony and Josephine Antoci, took over the struggling business and began to revitalize and expand it, attracting a wealthier clientele. From 2014, a new store was opened approximately every two years, until 2021, when a new one was launched every six months on average. With ten stores in operation, Erewhon is now the most popular and luxurious supermarket chain in Los Angeles. For example, to promote her skincare product line, Hailey Bieber chose Erewhon and together they developed a 'skin-supporting smoothie" sold for $17. The smoothie, served with strawberry glaze, includes ingredients like hyaluronic acid, collagen, and sea moss gel – a Caribbean seaweed known for its hydrating and anti-inflammatory properties, which has become extremely popular on TikTok (the hashtag #SeaMoss has already surpassed 400 million views). Encouraged by these successes, the brand aims to expand further beyond Los Angeles: «We are gonna be in New York,» announced the company's vice president to The Cut.

Why Erewhon Is Thriving

Erewhon's success is also due to a smartly designed shopping experience, with an environment that conveys a high sense of order and somehow reassures the consumer. «We are more than your local grocery store,» reads Erewhon's website. For example, its Santa Monica branch, opened in 2018 to celebrate the brand's 50th anniversary, received an excellence award at the Los Angeles Business Council Architectural Awards. Over the years, Erewhon has adapted its offerings to market trends, introducing a wide variety of products and attracting a high-profile clientele. The brand has become the go-to destination for the Los Angeles elite when it comes to foods commonly defined as natural, healthy, and organic. Predictably, compared to the original macrobiotic belief, today's Erewhon tends to have a much more commercial and superficial approach, and the cost of its products is the ultimate proof of this. 

«California is like that: there are things that aren't for everyone but are super popular. I've been here at Erewhon for an hour, and it's full of people,» says Mochohf. The brand has a core group of customers, some so loyal that they claim they couldn't live without its products, given the benefits they provide. The rise of Erewhon, the hype it has generated, and the devotion that an increasing number of affluent people have for the brand are rooted in the sense of community the brand has managed to build. Several studies in the United States have confirmed that families with higher incomes on average purchase and consume healthier food, particularly fruits, vegetables, and fiber-rich and protein-rich foods. Faced with American culinary extravagances often based on excessive fats and sugars, the desire to inspire the elite «to eat better and more consciously» has been the company's key to success.