In June 2021, Erewhon became a Certified B Corporation, recognizing its commitment to social and environmental responsibility.[7]
History
Erewhon was founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1966 by Michio and Aveline Kushi.[1][8][9][10] The name "Erewhon" is derived from the 1872 satirical novel Erewhon by Samuel Butler. In the novel, Erewhon, an anagram of "nowhere", is a utopia in which individuals are responsible for their own health and prosecuted for the crime of being ill.[11] With ten locations in Los Angeles County,[2] the brand has been compared to the early years of Whole Foods Market.[12]
The Erewhon Organic brand was originally a health foods producer with a single store. In 1979, the brand was purchased from bankruptcy by employee Tom DeSilva.[13] In 2011, Tony and Josephine Antoci purchased the last store on Beverly Boulevard that remained open from the widow of Tom DeSilva.[14][15][16] Tony Antoci created and developed the brand into an upscale supermarket.[17] Following several years of increasing financial performance, New York–based private equity firm Stripes Group purchased a substantial minority stake in Erewhon in 2019.[17]
In August 2022, Erewhon opened their eighth location and first Beverly Hills location in the former Williams-Sonoma space.[18][19] In September 2023, Erewhon opened a location in Pasadena, the first east of Interstate 5.[20] Three new locations have been announced in 2025: in Glendale, West Hollywood, and Manhattan Beach.[21]
As of 2023, Erewhon ships nationwide to all 50 states, as well as Australia, Canada and the UK.[22]
In 2024, Erewhon filed an environmental lawsuit to block the construction of a mixed-use development which included 520 apartments (78 of which were subsidized affordable housing), groundfloor retail and restaurants on the nearby lot of a vacant 190-room hotel in Los Angeles.[23]
