A few months ago I was at a cocktail party in Studio City when suddenly a conversation rose above the din of the guests' chatter and we quickly came to a consensus: Erewhon had gone too far.
“Animal organs, ground up!” one guest squealed, wrinkling his nose.
“My God, yes,” his friend agreed. “Erewhon’s shakes are out of control!”
They were referring to the upmarket grocery store’s “Raw Animal Shake,” a blend of kefir (fermented milk), beef organs, so-called Immunomilk (freeze-dried cow colostrum, which is the first breast milk after birth), raw honey, blueberries, bananas, lucuma sweetener, coconut cream, sea salt and maple syrup.
“Raw Animal Smoothie” by Erewhon.
(Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
The drink is one of many celebrity and influencer collaborations within Erewhon’s extensive smoothie universe. This one is credited to fitness influencer Dr. Paul Saladino, author of “The Carnivore Code,” which promotes the health benefits of eating animal organs. He says they help with immunity, gut health, weight loss and bone strength, among other things. His Austin-based company, Heart & Soil, provides the beef organs and Immunomilk for Erewhon’s raw animal shake. Erewhon’s website describes it as having a “creamy texture with a hint of sweetness and a touch of tartness.”
You might be thinking: Gross! And also: How? But despite the smoothie’s official name — “Dr. Paul’s Raw Animal-Based Smoothie” — there’s a giant asterisk to this tactic. Erewhon says the blend of raw beef livers, hearts, pancreases, kidneys and spleens swirled into coconut cream in the drink should not be considered “raw.”
“They are dried or freeze-dried to preserve the organs as a nutrient-rich powder,” a store representative said via email.
Erewhon’s organic tonic bars, where frothy smoothies are made to order, have created a chic atmosphere of their own. Agile, well-groomed patrons in flip-flops and casual Gucci clothes crowd these areas at all hours of the day at Erewhon’s 10 Los Angeles locations.
New smoothie collaborations, developed in conjunction with and heavily promoted by celebrities and social media stars, are announced regularly. These include Kendall Jenner’s $23 Peaches and Cream Smoothie, the most expensive on the menu, and the recently launched Sunscreen Smoothie, a cloudy, navy swirl inspired by sunscreen brand Vacation. The $19 Hailey Bieber Strawberry Frosted Smoothie is by far the shop’s most popular since its 2022 debut alongside Bieber’s skincare line Rhode.
But the Raw Animal Smoothie, which debuted on the menu a year ago, might be the shop's biggest talking point yet.
“Who is buying this?” one shopper complained on TikTok. “I can’t, I feel like throwing up looking at the ingredients. If you’re super rich and spending your money on this smoothie, if this is something you like, I need some explaining.”
There are tons of people on the Internet who have filmed their own taste tests, many of them positive.
“You can feel the iron in this. It has some kick to it,” said one fan of the drink in a TikTok post with the caption “Worth it.”
The drink may be click bait, but it also speaks to a growing lifestyle trend that advocates getting back to basics. And by that we mean the Neanderthal era. A step beyond trends like the paleo (or caveman) diet, it includes eating raw meat; rising and sleeping to the rhythm of the sun; and walking or running “barefoot” in thin or no shoes (or sneakers with the bottoms cut out).
At Erewhon in Culver City, you can see a selection of smoothies, including Dr. Paul's raw, animal-based smoothie.
(Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
Erewhon’s raw beef shake fits the bill, but at what cost? With an outbreak of H5N1 “bird flu” ravaging dairy cows in the U.S., is it safe to consume unpasteurized milk right now (or any time)?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only four cases of “bird flu” have been detected in humans since March, so the current risk to public health is low. However, they recommend avoiding unpasteurized dairy products in general, as drinking raw milk “may cause serious health risks, especially for certain vulnerable populations,” they state on their website.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration adds that it is unclear whether H5N1 viruses can be transmitted through consumption of raw colostrum from infected cows, but advises against drinking unpasteurized milk because it can harbor germs that cause serious health problems, including Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria.
What about raw, freeze-dried or other meat? No, says the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“There are a lot of different trends out there today where people are encouraging raw meat, but the reality is that it’s still a very risky thing to do if you don’t know if there are bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses,” said USDA food safety specialist Meredith Carothers. “When you reduce the moisture, you basically dry it out.” [by freeze-drying] —The bacteria may not be able to multiply and thrive, but it does not kill it.”
Erewhon stands by the “nutrient-dense” ingredients in its Raw Animal shake, but makes one thing clear: “We are not a healthcare provider and make no health claims about our products. If you are interested in exploring the health benefits, we encourage you to explore the scientific literature on the shake ingredients,” the rep said.
Obviously, Erewhon's gleaming produce aisles are a far cry from a doctor's office. But the store's blurb makes one important distinction clear: Erewhon isn't responsible for your health, only for making you feel better. feel healthy.
With that in mind, I took my health into my own hands and took a trip to Silver Lake Erewhon.
The raw fruit smoothie has become popular, cashier Ahly Guevara told me. She doesn't drink it, but her 70-year-old grandmother, Maria, loves it.
“She buys one every Saturday and Sunday,” Guevara said. “It makes her feel stronger.”
A customer checks out at an Erewhon store in Culver City.
(Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
If Maria could do it, so could I. At the first sip, I gagged slightly, while images of Looney Tunes farm animals flashed through my head. But it was a sweltering afternoon, and glistening beads of condensation dripped down the outside of the plastic cup, which was topped with generous amounts of thick coconut cream drizzled with honey. It looked more than refreshing.
When I was I was able to forget about the ingredients and gobble it down with ease. The shake was incredibly delicious: rich, sweet and creamy, with notes of blueberries and banana and a lingering coconut base. Erewhon says it's one of the store's best-selling shakes and is now a staple on the menu.
“This store is like the Louis Vuitton of supermarkets.”
—Jordan Ben-Yehuda, patron of Erewhon
As I drank, I saw three customers, identical pink milkshakes (unmistakably Hailey Biebers) in hand, clustered at the entrance. The 19-year-olds were visiting Los Angeles from Arkansas for the week. On the agenda: the Hollywood sign, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Santa Monica Pier and … Erewhon. They regularly ogle the luxury shop’s jewel-toned milkshakes on social media and wanted a taste of that aspirational lifestyle.
“You see them on TikTok and you want to be a part of it,” said one of them, Natalie Vivar, about Erewhon’s smoothies.
Jordan Ben-Yehuda, 20, a student at Parsons School of Design, added that the high prices of drinks matched the store's upmarket atmosphere.
“You feel exclusive here, you feel special,” he said as he waited for his drink. “This store is like the Louis Vuitton of supermarkets.”
Still, I wasn't quite ready to try the Animal Smoothie.
“It doesn't seem particularly appealing to me,” Ben-Yehuda said. “But if it's marketed as healthy and sold in a store like thisWho am I to question it? It’s Erewhon.”
