Josephine Antoci Turned Erewhon into LA’s Most Exclusive Grocery Store
By Kelli Luu | 15 Aug, 2025

Erewhon started as an Asian-founded health food store in Boston and is now Josephine Antoci’s wellness empire in Los Angeles pulling in over $171 million in profit every year.

There’s a healthy lifestyle wave taking over Los Angeles, California with cold pressed juices, luxury smoothies, organic everything and there’s one name at the center of it all. Erewhon. It’s not just a grocery store, it has become a high status symbol and a new way of living life. 

Erewhon’s story does not begin in LA, but in Boston back in 1966. Japanese couple Aveline and Michio Kushi founded a small organic food store with a mission to bring whole organic foods to the United States way before “eating clean” was a trend. 

In 1969 the Kushis expanded their vision west to the Fairfax District in Los Angeles which is currently Erewhon’s oldest operating store. This location became one of the country’s very first organic grocery stores but it did not meet the Kushi’s expectations. 

By the 80s expansion stopped and the brand was purchased from bankruptcy by a former employee. In 2011 the Fairfax store was the only Erewhon left standing and it was acquired at an undisclosed amount by Tony and Josephine Antoci. 

Josephine is a Taiwanese-American entrepreneur and she took charge as President when she saw the potential Erewhon’s roots had. As the company’s chief tastemaker, Antoci became extremely involved in the product selection, only putting items on shelves that met her standards. Her particular taste and commitment to quality became the foundation of Erewhon’s identity. 

Not only was she prioritizing health and wellness, but also the shopping experience. She transformed the isles into eye-catching displays that featured the most premium produce and high-end supplements. Antoci even expanded the cafe to offer outstanding hot meals, specialty lattes, and of course, the viral $20 celebrity smoothies. 

With this new leadership and trending concepts, Erewhon became a cultural phenomenon. It’s a place for celebrity sightings, getting a Hailey Bieber smoothie after a morning pilates class, and signaling your wellness lifestyle and exquisite taste. 

By 2023 Erewhon proved to have evolved from a struggling store in the wellness industry to reportedly generating $171.4 million in profit. In 12 years Josephine Antoci’s curation has become one of the most profitable organic grocers in the country. 

Today Erewhon operates 10 different stores across Los Angeles with the Fairfax location still being an iconic stop in the city. They are currently looking to expand even more with three stores scheduled to open later this year in Thousand Oaks, West Hollywood, and Glendale. 

With humble beginnings as an Asian-founded health food store out of Boston to the rebirth of the brand under Josephine Antoci, Erewhon has redefined grocery shopping in LA. It’s no longer just a place to buy food — it’s a community hub that symbolizes the city’s health conscious lifestyle that’s driven by trends and the influence of this wellness empire is showing no signs of slowing down.