What is Erewhon? America’s most expensive grocery store that’s going viral

California-based grocery store Erewhon is going viral on TikTok for its premium products and crazy prices, but is it just expensive because of the hype? Let’s dive into the facts about this grocery store that’s crawling with celebs.

Would you pay $20 for a bottle of water? Or how about $27 for some tuna sushi? These prices may sound crazy, but this is what people are flocking to Erewhon to buy on the daily.

The grocery store chain opened in the 1960s and now has ten stores, all located in Los Angeles, California. When it started though, it was a small market stall located in Boston and was the first of its kind to focus on macro-nutrition.

The stores themselves have a health food store vibe, while maintaining a high-end beachy atmosphere. They have an extensive deli counter serving meals to take home, a café serving smoothies and sandwiches, as well as aisles upon aisles of exclusive products. Imagine Whole Foods started hanging out with the Hadids.

These luxury grocery stores have been known to be frequented by celebrities (like The Kardashians) for years, but Erewhon went super viral on TikTok recently due to a smoothie that Hailey Bieber drinks.

The smoothie is made from coconut cream, avocado, and strawberry and it costs $20 at Erewhon. The drink itself is a collab between Hailey Bieber and Erewhon and is called the ‘Skin Glaze’ smoothie due to it being loaded with collagen and sea moss. But, when it comes to luxury products sold here, this drink is just the tip of the iceberg.

What are people saying about Erewhon?

As with any viral trend, people are creating TikToks of them rating the food at Erewhon, and much like the review above by @jacksdiningroom, people admit that the food is good, but probably not worth the price they paid for it.

One person commented: “You could buy a bottle of honey in the store for $80.” And another quipped: “You gotta try the $30 water.”

But, that doesn’t stop people hyping it up, and there has been some buzz online that an Erewhon store will be coming to New York City, with one TikToker mentioning, “I really gotta go. I’ll take off work. I don’t care.”

People agreed with her in the comments, with many people saying that they would queue for hours just to pay $17 for an ‘exclusive’ smoothie.

Who can shop at Erewhon?

A quick scroll down the Erewhon Instagram will show you not only their exclusive food items, but some famous faces that have been spotted shopping at Erewhon, including Olivia Rodrigo, Emma Chamberlain, and Bella Hadid. But, can you shop there even if you’re not an A-list It-Girl?

Yes, you can. Anyone can shop at Erewhon, as long as you’re willing to splash out an average of $200 on a grocery shop. The exclusive supermarket chain does have a membership that costs $200 a month but comes with some perks like points for every $10 spent. Or, if you’d just like to spend your money on lattes in the café attached to every Erewhon branch, you can spend $100 a month on your membership.

The memberships have come under some fire online as people don’t see the need for this price on top of an already high grocery bill, but Erewhon’s exclusivity is what has drawn people online to it in the first place.

Why is Erewhon so expensive?

The owners of Erewhon are under no illusion that their raw, exclusive and macro-nutrient focused products are out of the financial reach of your average person. In fact, co-owner Tony Antoci told The Hollywood Reporter: “It doesn’t bother me because it is true. We are catering to the affluent.”

The founders created the ‘macrobiotic movement’ which is a diet that revolves around whole grains, organic vegan foods, and local, seasonal fruits and vegetables. They even claimed that this diet could cure cancer and other diseases, but there is no scientific evidence to back this up.

Their products contain no artifical flavors, sugars or ingredients and are all organic and locally sourced. That being said, you can buy organic products elsewhere for a lot cheaper than Erewhon is selling them. For example, an organic dark chocolate bar with 70% cocoa will cost you $16.99 at Erewhon, but just $1.99 at Trader Joe’s.

When speaking to the Hollywood Reporter about their prices, the founders said: “We didn’t build our business by being the most expensive or catering to celebrities. It grew very organically, which is nice.”

The New York Times referred to Erewhon as, “the unofficial hangout for the young, beautiful, and bored,” which could be what draws influencers to it to try out their food. As with any LA trend, people will flock to it for a taste of the celebrity lifestyle and for many, a pricey trip to Erewhon is worth the buzz of feeling like an A-lister, and possibly meeting one too.