Building trust and authenticity: lessons from Nara Smith x Erewhon
There’s nothing like an iconic Nara Smith food collaboration. Erewhon joined forces with the "From Scratch Queen" this year to create the 'Wellness From Scratch Smoothie' and this is what it teaches us about trust and authenticity.
Nara Smith is known for creating recipes and making essential items like toothpaste and sunscreen for her kids and husband from scratch! She made waves in 2024 with her content stacking millions of views with each post, enabling her to grow an organic community, and establishing her as a leader in the food content creation space due to her unique approach which is obviously 'making meals from scratch'!
Recently, she announced that the reason for making her food from scratch was health-related - which I would also say made her more relatable because there are people who find her content to be obscure. To ensure she was in control of what went into her body, and was providing it with the nutritional value it needed she decided to start making her food from scratch.
Erewhon; the grocery chain known for providing ethically sourced foods to promote nutritional value and preserve the planet recently partnered with Nara Smith to launch a new smoothie called 'Wellness From Scratch'. In true Nara fashion, she took us through the process in her soothing voice, using health-packed ingredients to bring this smoothie to life! This collaboration garnered over 4 million views on Instagram and her taste test on Tiktok garnered over 6 million views.
The shift.
Now before we dive into why this collaboration just makes sense, let’s take a moment to think about the shift from influencers to community since this is currently a hot topic. What does this change mean, and should brands fully make the shift from influencers to community?
It’s no secret that the influencer landscape is shifting. Brands are moving away from influencer-heavy content and leaning into community. Why? Because they’re finally realising they have been neglecting the very people who made their brand what it is in the first place.
For too long, the spotlight has been on influencers while the everyday supporters, repeat buyers, and genuine fans have been sidelined. Now brands are waking up to the fact that these are the voices that matter most.
According to a study by The Drum, 90% of consumers no longer trust influencer content promoting a product or service because it lacks authenticity. The Desire Company also found that 87% of consumers are fed up with influencer marketing, and believe most of these influencers do not even use the products they promote.
Refy set the tone for putting community first after they took their most loyal customers on a brand trip instead of the usual influencers. This obviously sparked a conversation about brands prioritizing influencers over consumers when it came to their marketing.
In 2025 people including myself are craving authenticity over mere ads. We want to see real people using real products made for them. And while I am in full support of the move from influencer to communities (especially with collaborations that just feel like a quick cash grab), I still believe Influencer collaborations are necessary and can still work as long as they feel authentic and reflect the creator’s true voice and values.
Hot take? Maybe. But Influencer marketing should not be fully discarded.
Some influencers have been able to build trusted communities that resonate with their content, allowing them to serve as advocates for these audiences. When influencers have a genuine connection with their followers, their partnership with brands should amplify the voices of their communities or better still appeal to them for it to have an impact.
For instance, brands would never have gone back to the drawing board and tried to make their products more inclusive if influencers like Golloria did not start calling them out. This is what influencer Marketing should actually be about. They should make their audiences feel heard while still appealing to them.
Let’s get into Nara Smith and her collaboration with Erewhon.
I’d describe Nara's comment section as “chaotic”. It has an interesting mix of strong opinions, food enthusiasts, and fashion lovers who, do not necessarily resonate with her content but are more so intrigued by it. Nara is known for wearing high-end, extravagant outfits while making gum from scratch.
That is definitely not relatable but 'different,' and that unique factor is what sets her apart from other food content creators. The strong distinctiveness of her content has led to impressive engagement, mainly because of the curiosity it sparks in her followers, myself included. I find myself genuinely intrigued, always wondering what unexpected dish she’s going to make next, and I am certain you do too. This curiosity is exactly what creates the connection between Nara and her audience, and as strange as it may sound, it works.
Her engagement speaks for itself. Erewhon's whole strategy was to reach her target audience through her unique content style and it worked not only because they are a grocery brand collaborating with a culinary creator but also because their campaign appealed to her audience's curiosity.
Now that I am done with my hot take, let's get back to what we actually came here for: what small brands can learn from this collaboration:
Aligned values:
As I mentioned earlier when a collaboration reflects the true voice and values of an influencer it creates trust and connects the brand with the shared values of the creator's audience which is something the brand would not have been able to do on its own.
Nara's Smith wholesome and health-conscious meals she makes from scratch pair perfectly with Erewhon's commitment to providing their customers with organic and ethically sourced ingredients.
These values were seamlessly integrated perfectly into the entire campaign, right down to the smoothie itself which contains health-packed ingredients such as grass-fed Kefir for probiotics, and Camu Camu for some Vitamin C.
Smaller brands must always ensure that the values of the creators or influencers they decide to partner with for a campaign align with the values of their brand if they truly want to connect with the audiences of these creators and achieve their desired impact. Just like jumping on trends that don't fit the brand can lead to a disaster, the same principle applies here
Creative freedom:
Erewhon not only involved Nara Smith in the process of creating the smoothie, but also gave her the creative freedom to promote it in her signature style, 'making things from scratch' so that her audience could truly connect with the collaboration. They even named the smoothie after her signature approach which was another strategic move designed to make with her audience.
Smaller brands must always involve creators in the creative process and remain flexible about how the final content will look. Creators understand their audiences and know what will resonate, so brands should trust their expertise, and allow them to contribute to the process.
Since we are being honest…
This smoothie is definitely on the pricey side. It costs $23 which isn’t surprising given that Erewhon is a premium grocery store. They also ethically source all their produce, which tends to be more expensive than the homegrown ones. Additionally, Erewhon has an obvious target market; high earners, who are willing to pay for quality and sustainability.
One reason I would be influenced to purchase this smoothie is the fact that a portion of the proceeds will go towards supporting Save The Children Charity. That is definitely a good reason to try the "Wellness From Scratch" smoothie.
Well that brings us to the end of this perfect collaboration! I hope you did not only enjoy reading this column but it also gave you a perspective shift on how the Influencer game is evolving ! Until next time xx
Social Media and Marketing Strategist and
Creator Executive
