“RIP to me honestly”: Smoothie dupes influencer forced by Erewhon to remove her videos

A popular TikToker who rose to fame with her smoothie recipes says food retailer Erewhon forced her take take down her dupe videos. The “Certified Beverage Girl” claimed on TikTok that the company recently sent her a cease and desist letter and refused her attempts to negotiate.

No more Erewhon dupe videos

On July 16, TikToker @dont.chase.your.d posted a video explaining to a commenter why all her Erewhon dupe entries disappeared. According to the smoothie lover, the company accused her of “defamation” and “exposing trade secrets.”

“I received a cease and desist around a month ago from Erewhon,” she said, “and despite our best efforts to come to a mutual agreement and understanding, I was met with, ‘we don’t care, take everything down.’”

@dont.chase.your.d Replying to @Eloy RIP to me honestly Erewhon made me take my videos down. #erewhon #erewhonsmoothie #smoothierecipe #losangeles #tea #drama #ceaseanddesist ♬ Chopin Nocturne No. 2 Piano Mono – moshimo sound design

“The reality of the situation is, they have ‘F U’ money,” she added. “I, however, do not.”

She remarked “nice knowing you” toward the end of the video, possibly suggesting that she thinks this could be the end of her TikTok career.

“RIP to me honestly,” she wrote in the video description.

Erewhon, also known as Erewhon Market, is an upscale grocery store chain in Los Angeles County. It specialized in organic health foods including smoothies and has prices to match.

Companies suing TikTokers

Many TikTokers have built a following around “dupe” recipe videos that do their best to imitate the offerings of popular brands and restaurants. This type of content existed in the form of articles long before TikTok launched, but few companies send threatening letters about it.

However, it’s not impossible to end up on the wrong side of a suit for messing with a company’s products. In 2021, TikToker @raphaelgomesx claimed that Chick-fil-A sued him for allegedly showing their chicken nugget recipe in a video.

“I was shocked honey, I was in tears almost,” the voiceover said.

More recently, it came out that the company behind the Sylvanian Families figurines sued @SylvanianDrama—a TikTok account dedicated to creating silly adult dramas with the toys. The parties involved are currently in negotiations over the issue.

“Some of us don’t wanna pay $20 for a smoothie”

Naturally, fans of these accounts often rage against the litigious companies ruining their fun. Followers of @dont.chase.your.d rushed to her defense and expressed their disappointment in Erewhon’s actions.

“Why! [There] are so many creators doing Erewhon recipes,” @beccagg4 pointed out. “One even uses their cups!”

“Some of us don’t wanna pay $20 a smoothie or drive to LA for it,” said @palelani.

Others tried to cheer the TikToker up by suggesting that the company targeted her because of her fame.

“Instead of being frustrated can I just point out the fact that EREWHON FEELS THREATENED BY LITTLE YOU??” wrote @cshipman10.

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