"It’s Incredibly Juicy!" — Why People Are Paying $19 for the Luxury Erewhon Strawberry

How much would you be willing to pay to taste something that’s touted as the best of its kind? Whether it’s the best chocolate, steak ... or perhaps the best strawberry? I guess it all depends on how fat your wallet is and what kind of food we’re talking about. But if it’s trending on TikTok, does any of that really matter anymore? The reality is most people just want to try viral foods to say, "We tried that."

The latest treat gaining major attention on TikTok is the Erewhon strawberry, a "luxury" fruit that’ll cost you a whopping $19. Yep, basically $20 for a fancy red strawberry that’s probably gone in two or three bites. Sold by California-based grocer Erewhon, these strawberries are reportedly imported from Japan, and people are calling them the best out there. Here’s everything to know about the Erewhon strawberry, and why some people are outraged by the fruit.

California-based grocer Erewhon is selling $19 strawberries, and TikToker @alyssaantocii just had to try one to see if it really lives up to the hype.

In February 2025, she posted a video after purchasing the strawberry at Erewhon in Beverly Hills. Taking a bite outside the store, she shows off the strawberry, which comes in its own fancy plastic container, almost like it’s on a pedestal. "It’s literally sitting on like a little tray," she says.

After tasting it, she can’t help but cover her mouth in awe, calling it "the best strawberry" and exclaiming, "That’s crazy." She then declares to anyone nearby that it’s the "best strawberry I’ve ever had in my life."

Meanwhile, ABC News 7 hosts had the pleasure of trying the strawberry, too, after a staff member waited six hours to get one for each. While they were impressed by its juiciness, their reactions didn’t quite match the TikToker’s level of excitement. And honestly, I can’t imagine a strawberry tasting so good that I’d pay $19 for it.

Unlike the reaction people had to the viral Dubai chocolate (which, honestly, was just like any other chocolate), the general public doesn’t seem as hyped about the Erewhon strawberry. That said, they’re still selling out fast, and there are long lines of people waiting to grab one, so the hype is clearly there.

TikToker Tara Shams suggested the $19 strawberry is just a "social experiment" to see what people are willing to drop cash on. But one user pointed out that Japan does sell fruit that’s "phenomenal" without those "Erewhon prices." So, maybe it’s a really good strawberry, but just not $19 good?

In addition to calling it a social experiment, others are calling out people in Los Angeles for being "so gullible." One person even chimed in with, “Please stop normalizing spending $19 on one strawberry.”

While the Erewhon strawberry is certainly causing a stir, I’m not sure why anyone’s so surprised by the $19 price tag, considering Erewhon’s website also boasts daily specials like organic green beans and almonds for $19.50 per pound and features big names like Sabrina Carpenter in its ads.

Personally, I’ll stick with my 7.5 oz Green Giant green beans and almonds, which typically cost around $1.99, and sometimes even go on sale for buy one get one free at Publix!

Amid the mounting backlash over the $19 Erewhon strawberry, German retailer Aldi is using the hype to its advantage with a cheeky Instagram post boasting its lower prices on strawberries. The ad shows a single strawberry in a plastic container with the caption, "That LA Grocer $18.99," followed by a hand holding a fresh strawberry with the price, "Aldi $0.32."

The post is captioned, "Can you even imagine? Fortunately, you can take a bite of one of our organic strawberries for around 32 cents. So keep the change. All $18.67 of it." While one person joked that Aldi was being "messy" with the ad, it definitely highlights just how ridiculous it is to charge $19 for a strawberry.