Erewhon
Retailer / private label
UnclaimedErewhon is an American upscale grocery and wellness retailer known for organic foods, prepared meals, specialty beverages, and highly visible health-focused products.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Erewhon is an upscale American grocery retailer based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The chain combines premium food retail with an extensive prepared-food, cafe, juice, smoothie, and wellness proposition. Its stores are associated with organic and natural foods, specialty dietary products, curated supplements, premium pantry goods, salads, prepared meals, and highly photogenic drinks that circulate widely on social media. Although it operates as a grocery chain, its locations also function as lifestyle destinations and casual food-service venues. The business was founded in Boston in 1966 by Michio and Aveline Kushi, followers of the macrobiotic diet movement. The name comes from Samuel Butler's 1872 satirical novel Erewhon, an anagram of “nowhere.” In the novel, the fictional society treats personal health as a matter of individual responsibility, an association that fits the retailer's early health-food orientation. The original Erewhon Organic business combined food production with a Boston store. The Kushis later moved to Los Angeles, where they opened the Fairfax District location in 1969; that store remains the chain's oldest continuously operating location. In 1979, employee Tom DeSilva purchased the brand after it entered bankruptcy. A major transformation followed the 2011 acquisition of the Fairfax store by Tony and Josephine Antoci from DeSilva's widow. Under the Antocis, Erewhon developed from a small health-food operation into an aspirational premium supermarket. The company cultivated a young and affluent customer base, emphasizing design, exclusivity, wellness trends, discovery, and convenience. Its assortment commonly serves vegan, gluten-free, organic, plant-based, and other specialized dietary preferences, while its prepared-food counters and beverage bars make the stores partly resemble cafes. Erewhon's pricing and presentation distinguish it from conventional supermarkets. Products may be expensive, limited in availability, or selected for their novelty and wellness appeal. Smoothies and tonics, especially collaborations or trend-driven recipes, have become important traffic and publicity drivers. The retailer's celebrity clientele and social-media visibility have reinforced its image as an aspirational Los Angeles lifestyle brand. Its positioning has often been compared with the early development of Whole Foods Market, although Erewhon is generally more narrowly focused on premium curation, prepared food, and an exclusive in-store experience. The company expanded across Los Angeles during the 2010s and 2020s, adding locations in Calabasas, Venice, Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, Silver Lake, Studio City, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Pasadena, and Manhattan Beach, with additional locations reported or planned in West Hollywood, Glendale, and Thousand Oaks. In 2019, New York-based private-equity firm Stripes Group acquired a substantial minority stake after several years of improved financial performance. Erewhon became a certified B Corporation in June 2021. By 2023, the retailer reported nationwide shipping within the United States and international shipping to Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Its business therefore combines a concentrated physical-store footprint in Southern California with broader e-commerce reach.
History
Erewhon began in Boston in 1966 as a health-food business founded by Michio and Aveline Kushi, who were influenced by the macrobiotic movement. The company name was taken from Samuel Butler's satirical novel Erewhon, whose title reverses the word “nowhere.” The literary reference also reflects the founders' health philosophy: in Butler's fictional society, individuals are held responsible for their own physical condition and illness is treated as a social and moral matter. The original operation, known as Erewhon Organic, was both a producer of health-oriented foods and a retailer. The Kushis later relocated to Los Angeles and opened a Fairfax District store in 1969. That location became the foundation of the modern chain and remains its oldest operating store. Erewhon was not initially a large supermarket business; it was a specialized health-food retailer serving consumers interested in macrobiotic and natural products. A change in ownership occurred in 1979, when employee Tom DeSilva purchased the brand after it went through bankruptcy. The business remained comparatively small for several decades. In 2011, Tony and Josephine Antoci acquired the Fairfax District store from DeSilva's widow. Their ownership marked the beginning of Erewhon's repositioning as an upscale, highly curated grocery and lifestyle brand. The Antocis expanded the company's offer beyond traditional health-food retail. Erewhon stores increasingly emphasized premium organic groceries, specialized diets, supplements, prepared foods, fresh salads, smoothies, tonics, juices, and cafe-style service. The stores were designed to be destinations rather than merely places for routine grocery replenishment. This approach targeted a young, affluent, wellness-conscious clientele and attracted substantial attention from celebrities and social-media users. Erewhon expanded from Fairfax into other affluent and high-visibility areas of the Los Angeles region. Reported openings included Calabasas in 2014, Venice in 2016, Santa Monica in 2018, Pacific Palisades in 2019, Silver Lake in 2020, Studio City in 2021, Beverly Hills in 2022, Culver City and Pasadena in 2023, and Manhattan Beach in 2025. Future or announced locations included West Hollywood, Glendale, and Thousand Oaks. The exact operating status of locations announced for future years should be verified against current company information. As the retailer grew, its commercial identity became closely linked to premium pricing, limited or seasonal products, wellness trends, and visually distinctive drinks and prepared foods. Smoothies and tonics became especially important to brand awareness because customers and media frequently shared them online. Erewhon consequently operated at the intersection of grocery, quick-service food, cafe culture, and lifestyle branding. Its expansion has been compared with the earlier transformation of Whole Foods Market from a niche natural-food retailer into a broader premium supermarket, although Erewhon has maintained a more exclusive and experience-led proposition. In 2019, Stripes Group, a New York private-equity firm, purchased a substantial minority stake in Erewhon after the company had experienced several years of improving financial performance. No reliable financial figures are included here because the available reference does not provide source-backed amounts or time-series detail. In June 2021, Erewhon became a certified B Corporation, giving the retailer a formal certification associated with social and environmental performance. By 2023, Erewhon had extended its reach beyond its Southern California stores through shipping to all 50 U.S. states and to Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. In 2024, the company filed an environmental lawsuit opposing a proposed mixed-use development on the site of the vacant Sportsmen's Lodge hotel near its Studio City store. The proposed development was described as including 520 apartments, 78 of them subsidized affordable units, together with ground-floor retail and restaurants. In 2025, the company announced or was reported to have announced additional Southern California expansion and a tonic-bar concept at the Kith Ivy club in New York City. Erewhon's present model therefore combines a concentrated regional store network, national and international shipping, premium grocery retail, and highly visible wellness-oriented food service.
- 2024
Environmental lawsuit filed over Studio City development
[1]Erewhon challenges a proposed mixed-use project near its Studio City location.
- 2023
Shipping expands beyond Southern California
[1]Erewhon ships to all 50 U.S. states and selected international markets.
- 2021
Erewhon becomes a certified B Corporation
[1]The retailer receives B Corporation certification.
- 2019
Stripes Group takes a minority stake
[1]Stripes Group purchases a substantial minority interest in Erewhon.
- 2014
Calabasas location opens
[1]Erewhon expands beyond Fairfax with a Calabasas store.
- 2011
Tony and Josephine Antoci acquire the Fairfax store
[1]The Antocis purchase the store from the widow of Tom DeSilva and begin developing the modern upscale Erewhon model.
- 1979
Tom DeSilva acquires the brand after bankruptcy
[1]Employee Tom DeSilva purchases Erewhon following its bankruptcy.
- 1969
The Fairfax District store opens
[1]The Kushis open the Los Angeles location that becomes Erewhon's oldest operating store.
- 1966
Erewhon is founded in Boston
[1]Michio and Aveline Kushi establish the health-food business in Boston, drawing on the macrobiotic diet movement.
Products and positioning
An aspirational, premium health-and-wellness grocery destination for affluent and trend-conscious consumers, combining curated organic retail with cafe-style prepared food and highly shareable beverages.
Grocery · 1966
Organic and natural groceries
Erewhon's core assortment consists of curated organic and natural foods, including produce, refrigerated items, pantry goods, snacks, and beverages. The selection is positioned toward customers seeking premium ingredients, clean-label products, and distinctive or limited-availability items rather than the broadest possible mass-market range.
Prepared food
Prepared foods and salads
Prepared-food counters are a central part of the store experience. They offer salads, bowls, ready-to-eat meals, and other fresh foods, allowing Erewhon to serve customers looking for immediate consumption as well as grocery purchases. This food-service component helps differentiate the chain from conventional supermarkets.
Beverages
Smoothies, tonics, and juices
Erewhon operates smoothie and beverage counters featuring juices, tonics, and wellness-oriented drinks. These products often reflect current health and lifestyle trends and may be seasonal, collaborative, or available for a limited period. Their visual presentation and social-media circulation have made them among the retailer's most recognizable offerings.
Specialty foods
Dietary-specific and plant-based foods
The retailer carries products designed for specialized dietary preferences, including vegan, plant-based, gluten-free, and other wellness-oriented eating patterns. The assortment supports Erewhon's broader identity as a health-focused curator and allows it to serve customers who may have difficulty finding premium versions of these products in conventional supermarkets.
Health and wellness
Supplements and wellness products
Supplements and wellness goods extend the brand beyond food into personal health and lifestyle. They complement the retailer's macrobiotic and natural-food heritage and support its positioning around functional nutrition, dietary experimentation, and preventative wellness.
Brand decisions
2024
Challenge to the Sportsmen's Lodge mixed-use projectOtherBackground
A proposed development near Erewhon's Studio City store included 520 apartments, subsidized affordable housing, ground-floor retail, and restaurants.
Action taken
Erewhon filed an environmental lawsuit seeking to block the project.
2021
B Corporation certificationStrategyBackground
Erewhon sought to formalize its social and environmental commitments as the business expanded.
Action taken
The company became a certified B Corporation in June 2021.
Aftermath
The certification became part of the retailer's corporate responsibility profile.
2019
Stripes Group minority investmentM&ABackground
Erewhon had experienced several years of increasing financial performance and was expanding its premium retail model.
Action taken
New York-based private-equity firm Stripes Group acquired a substantial minority stake in the company.
Aftermath
The investment added institutional capital while leaving the Antocis associated with the brand's development.
2011
Repositioning as an upscale grocery and lifestyle brandStrategyBackground
After acquiring the Fairfax store, Tony and Josephine Antoci inherited a comparatively small health-food retailer with a long-standing natural-food identity.
Action taken
The owners expanded the assortment, developed prepared-food and beverage service, and built a more premium, aspirational store experience aimed at affluent and wellness-oriented consumers.
Aftermath
The repositioning supported geographic expansion, stronger social-media visibility, and Erewhon's emergence as a prominent Los Angeles lifestyle and grocery brand.
Recent events
Sources2 sources
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