I’m writing this from the Erewhon smoothie line. It pains me to admit that while I endure this LA-Brand of torture, I doubt I’ll ever stop.

When I’m away from LA for too long, I pick up an Erewhon smoothie and salad on my way back from the airport. I pursue those shelves like they’re a tether back to reality — never mind the fact that the prices are so absurd that even glancing at the exorbitant should be an out-of-body experience.

Yet, Angelenos are accustomed to overpaying for what we deem health essentials. From crystals to sea moss gel, LA is a haven for “wellness” in its most broadly defined terms. That’s why stores like Erewhon have flourished here for decades — long before this health destination achieved viral fame.

One thing about LA, we love a gourmet grocery store. Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s are mere child’s play. Every other trendy restaurant has an “and grocer” attached and our farmer’s markets are like Olympic sports. For years, Erewhon was an IYKYK destination for health junkies and celebrities. Then came TikTok.

Now, the secret is out. Erewhons across the county (with more locations opening faster than I can count) are flooded with tourists hoping to experience this LA haven. And a huge part of the Erewhon craze? Hailey Bieber and her iconic smoothie — of course. Whatever Hailey says or does will go viral — from her favorite makeup products to her own skincare line. Who could have predicted she’d catapult an entire grocery chain to internet success?

In the past year, Erewhon has gone from niche to one of LA’s defining destinations. But is a smoothie a business strategy? They’ve ramped up their celebrity collaborations and are hurtling to success thanks to the hype wave. As I write this, there are three celebrity smoothie collabs in rotation as well as partnerships with brands and businesses. But how long can the Erewhon bubble last?

What is Erewhon? Why is it so famous?

Picture this: You’re strolling down aisles lined with artisanal Extra Virgin Olive Oil and more adaptogens than you can shake a sage stick at. They sell bottled water for over $50 and candy that’s somehow sugar-free. You’re also likely to spot a celeb, or at least their celebrity chefs (shoutout to @chefbae) — at least, the few that do their own grocery shopping or the D-Listers that loiter outside.

The food, as Instagrammable as it is, is only half the experience. It’s where the cool girls go to be seen and where the rest of us go to pretend we can afford to shop there regularly. The New York Times called it “the unofficial hangout for the young, beautiful, and bored.” It’s the closest thing we have to a third space. No wonder Erewhon has become a tourist trap.

An anagram of the word “Nowhere,” Samuel Butler’s 1872 satirical novel Erewhon is about a utopia where people are responsible for their own health and it’s a crime to be ill — which sounds like LA. Opening as “Erewhon Organic” in 1979, the store was originally a small health foods producer. Fast forward a few decades, and it was bought by the New York private equity and venture capital firm Stripes, which has also invested in Seamless and Blue Apron.

Currently, with 10 stores across LA, it has transformed from a local shop to a health food empire. Erewhon isn’t just selling groceries. It’s selling a lifestyle, an aesthetic, a vibe. And let’s be honest, we’re all kind of buying it (metaphorically, if not literally — because, you know, $). There’s something undeniably alluring about the Erewhon brand of wellness. It’s clean, it’s chic, it’s exclusive. It makes you feel like you’re part of some secret club where everyone’s skin glows, and celebs are around every corner.

Then Erewhon blew up on TikTok. Erewhon has been schilling smoothies in their trademark smoothie bars for years. But, like any internet-native brand, they started honing in collaborations to increase their reach. But even they could not have predicted the success this would have.

They started small, partnering with buzzy brands in the skincare, beauty, and wellness spaces to create delicious concoctions. But everything changed when they started commissioning celeb-entrepreneurs. The first one to go viral was the Marianne Hewitt smoothie to promote her Gen Z-loved beauty brand, Summer Fridays. Launched in March 2022, the $17 blue smoothie went viral on TikTok instantly.

@marianna_hewitt I have my very own smoothie at erewhon !!! Order Marianna’s Coconut Cloud smoothie at all locations for the month of march 🌊🥥🤍♬ Love Galore (feat. Travis Scott) – SZA

People outside of LA recreated it in droves, but anyone in the LA area flocked to try it. The Coconut Cloud Smoothie was the first viral Erewhon smoothie. But when Hailey Bieber dropped her Skin Glaze Smoothie to promote her #CleanGirl skincare brand Rhode, the signature pink smoothie became synonymous with the brand.

While some collaborations only last a month or two, the strawberry Skin Glaze Smoothie has been on the menu for over a year. Even collabs with It Girls like Sofia Richie and Olivia Rodrigo were pushed out of the rotation after their tenure was through. But the Hailey Bieber smoothie hasn’t just lasted, it’s become a soft-serve dessert and a pint of dairy-free ice cream you can order nationwide.

@haileybieber my @Erewhon Market smoothie is now available as soft serve…🍦🍓 @Cosmic Bliss ♬ Yummy – Mixed – Justin Bieber

Unlike other TikTok favorite destinations, Erewhon isn’t just sitting back and enjoying the free publicity. Oh no, they’re leaning all the way in. Supercharged celebrity smoothie collabs? Check. Limited edition, Instagram-worthy merch (that retails for over $150)? You bet. They’ve taken the art of FOMO marketing and turned it into a science. And for Gen Z, it’s the hallmark of luxury.

Why food is the new luxury for Gen Z

Now, you might be wondering, “Why the heck are young people dropping their hard-earned cash on overpriced produce?” It’s a cultural phenomenon so intriguing that major publications have been trying to understand it, too. Their take? For Gen Z, food is the new luxury.

For Gen Z, food isn’t just sustenance – it’s a statement. In a world where homeownership feels about as attainable as a pet unicorn, and many former status symbols feel cheugy or cringe, food has become an accessible luxury. It’s the new status symbol, the new way to flex.

According to Vogue Business, “Gen Z creators on social media are swapping the luxury bags and Zara separates in their hauls and unboxing videos, for smoothies and sandwiches.” Case in point: Alix Earle’s Erewhon Haul smoothie got over 6 million views. And according to The Cut, members of Gen Z are taking on second jobs to afford a daily Erewhon smoothie or hot-bar plate, spending $50-$200 a week.

@alixearle I’m such a tourist ♬ original sound – Alix Earle

Let’s be real: it’s all been leading up to this. When Instagram first launched, it immediately became a destination to share #foodie pics. “Camera eats first” is still something I say before digging into all my meals. It wasn’t long before restaurants and storefronts started catering to the hashtag-iverse. Everything was millennial pink and had a fun name, like Cronut. Now, TikTok has taken the mantle and Gen Z has their own social media food obsessions.

Both generations are in the same boat financially: we were promised the American Dream, but we can’t afford it. We’re priced out of the housing market, we’re having children later (if at all), and we’re parting with traditional signifiers of wealth.

COVID exacerbated the wealth gap. While the rich got richer, and billionaires started trying to colonize Mars, young people started seeing everyday things as luxury. Hey, we’re living in an era where everyone has 5 roommates — and not in a fun, Friends way. It feels aptly dystopian that grocery hauls are considered luxury these days.

But it’s not just about the ‘gram. For a generation coming of age in a time of climate crisis and ethical consumption, what you eat has become a political statement. Organic, locally sourced, cruelty-free food is a major flex. Especially since TikTok is full of videos espousing the harms of pesticides and inorganic produce. But affording quality food is difficult in this economy, even when it’s not being marked up at insane Erewhon prices.

How inflation is impacting Gen Z: Coming of age in the cost of living crisis

There’s a reason that even normal grocery shopping makes me wince at the checkout counter. The cost of living crisis — nicknamed the “cozzie livs” by Gen Z, who love a whimsical term for a dire situation — has been caused by skyrocketing prices and stagnant wages.

Gen Z is coming of age in a time when everything costs more, from rent to ramen. So you’d think they’d be saving every penny they could, not splashing out on $17 smoothies. As one financial creator put it, young people buy nice things because they can’t afford anything else. Most young people are just getting by — when they have some extra cash, they use it to treat themselves.

There’s also an element of financial YOLO. When you’re already priced out of the housing market and saddled with student debt, what’s another $10 for some organic chia seeds? It’s the financial equivalent of “eh, might as well.” They’ve been applying this mindset to travel, and now they’re applying it to grocery shopping.

But there’s more to it than mere revenge spending. In a world that feels increasingly out of control, where climate change looms, and political instability is the norm, controlling what goes into your body can feel like a small act of rebellion. It’s a way of saying, “I may not be able to afford a house, but dammit, I can afford this artisanal, small-batch, ethically sourced chocolate bar.”

Of course, this isn’t sustainable for everyone. For many in Gen Z, Erewhon represents an aspirational lifestyle rather than a daily reality. It’s the grocery store equivalent of window shopping at Gucci. You might not be able to afford to shop there regularly, but oh boy, when you do, you’re going to make it count (and make sure everyone on your Instagram knows about it).

The age of celebrity food collaborations

If there’s one thing Erewhon knows how to do (besides charging $30 for a jar of almond butter), it’s leveraging star power. But even outside of Los Angeles, novelty food spending has gone up thanks to celebrity collaborations. From Lady Gaga’s Oreos to Travis Scott and McDonald’s, we’ve reached peak celebrity food collaborations.

Many of the recent celeb food collabs are directly inspired by Hailey Bieber’s success. Everyone wants a piece of that Erewhon pie. The Cut even declared that 2023 was “The Year Celeb Meal Deals Got Weird.” Megan Thee Stallion launched a Hottie Sauce with Popeyes, Chipotle inexplicably tapped Twenty-One Pilots, Cardi B and Offset collaborated on a couple’s night McDonald’s meal, Latto made a novelty meal deal with Wingstop, Renee Rapp released a bowl with Sweetgreen, and the most unlikely squad of Ben Affleck and Ice Spice and Martha Stewart all suited up for Dunkin’ Donuts.

It’s inaugural for anyone on a press tour to pop out with a delicious collaboration. This summer alone, Sabrina Carpenter took the song of the summer, “ Espresso,” to new heights by creating coffee drinks with both Alfred’s Coffee and Blank Street Coffee. Charli XCX made a brat green smoothie with Moon Juice.

It’s clear that the craze of novelty food items isn’t just a local phenomenon. Erewhon or not, you are what you eat — better make it cool.

But is Erewhon overrated?

If I know one thing: Gen Z is fickle. The cycle of loving and hating is most relentless on TikTok. This inevitable arc of hype always swings toward hatred in the end. Yet, somehow, despite the high prices and the unavoidable crowds, the overrated allegations haven’t hit Erewhon yet.

And that’s because those smoothies are damn good. Reaction video after reaction video proves that people think a smoothie that costs more than minimum wage is actually worth it. Many Gen Z creators have even argued that people pay that much for cocktails on a night out — why wouldn’t we pay that much for something that’s actually good for us?

But with all things health, the golden rule is consistency. How much can the occasional smoothie do for your health? The ingredients, which include sea moss gel and collagen, are great when taken regularly. But like Cher says in Clueless, “you can’t just do it sporadically.”

So despite all the claims of the health benefits, we all have to admit: we’re in it for the aesthetic. And as I’m not in the habit of preaching about how people spend their money, I’ll allow it — especially since, I’m currently doing the same. But the pendulum will swing and, with limited discretionary funds, Gen Z will spend their money elsewhere.

We also can’t ignore the irony in the way Erewhon has positioned itself as a bastion of health and wellness while simultaneously promoting $20 juices and $30 salads. True health and wellness should be accessible, not a luxury reserved for those who can afford to drop half their paycheck on groceries.

Maybe soon, the public’s attention will wane, or their opinion will sour. In that case, Matilda Djerf’s Bananas & Cream Smoothie or Hailey’s Skin Glaze might not be able to save it. But exclusivity and access to celebrity are what keep LA afloat. As long as there are people willing to pay premium prices for the promise of health, wellness, and a side of celebrity spotting, Erewhon will stick around. But as Gen Z ages and priorities shift, who knows? Today’s must-visit hotspot could be tomorrow’s cautionary tale of excess.