
Milk WarsFeb 18
the untold story of pious vegan ideologues, militant activists, and raw milk maxxers in a battle for the soul of america
Nov 13, 2025

A little earlier this fall, riding a wave of celebrity status and widespread social media craze, Erewhon Market announced it would establish an outpost store in New York City and begin shipping to dozens of other major cities, including Miami, Phoenix, Dallas, San Francisco, and Nashville.
These expansion plans mark a massive step for the [in]famous health food empire, which has generated incessant internet virality over the past decade. Erewhon has long maintained its status as the pinnacle of celebrity culture and the bougie excesses of Hollywood. Its headline-grabbing antics include selling a singular $19 strawberry (yes, one strawberry), slapping the names of pop stars, models, and actors on vastly overpriced smoothies, and being a subject of Kanye West’s Yeezy fits marketing (resulting in the term “erewhon drip”). A few weeks ago, a $100 Erewhon make-your-own smoothie kit sold out instantly.

Naturally, all this viral pomp and glamour has rendered Erewhon a cultural punchline, and it was this reputation that kept it contained in Los Angeles for so long.
Erewhon appealed specifically to the appearance-obsessed, smoothie-chugging hippie Californian who knew more about celebrities than their own family — and that was the joke. The brand was so emblematic of liberal coastal elitism that, way back in 2020, right-wing protesters stormed an Erewhon store in Fairfax in a protest against Gavin Newsom’s COVID policies. But in 2025, valley-girl accented vegans no longer have a monopoly on health obsession.