Erewhon was founded inBoston, Massachusetts, in 1966 byMichio andAveline Kushi.[1][7][8][9] The name "Erewhon" is derived from the 1872 satirical novelErewhon bySamuel Butler.[5] In the novel, Erewhon, ananagram of "nowhere," is autopia in which individuals are responsible for their own health and prosecuted for the crime of being unhealthy.
TheErewhon Organic brand was originally a health foods producer with a single store in Boston. The Kushis moved toLos Angeles and opened Erewhon's oldest operating location, in theFairfax District, in 1969. In 1979, the brand was purchased from bankruptcy by employee Tom DeSilva.[10] In 2011, Tony and Josephine Antoci purchased the Fairfax District store from the widow of Tom DeSilva.[11][12][13] The Antocis created and developed the brand into an upscale supermarket.[14]
Following several years of increasing financial performance, New York–basedprivate equity firmStripes Group purchased a substantial minority stake in Erewhon in 2019.[14] In June 2021, Erewhon became a certifiedB Corporation.[15]
As of 2023, Erewhon ships nationwide to all 50 states, and also ships to Australia, Canada, and the UK.[17]
In 2024, Erewhon filed an environmental lawsuit to block the construction of amixed-use development which would include 520 apartments (78 of which were subsidizedaffordable housing), ground floor retail and restaurants on the lot of the vacantSportsmen's Lodge hotel near itsStudio City location.[18]
