Burt Shavitz: Burt’s Bees Co-Founder Dies At Age 80
Burt Shavitz, co-founder of Burt’s Bees, has died at the age of 80. News of the iconic beekeeper’s passing was announced in an official statement on the company’s Facebook page. A Burt’s Bees spokeswoman later confirmed their namesake suffered complications related to a respiratory illness.
Often referred to as “The Bee Man,” Burt Shavitz started out selling honey at a roadside stand in Maine. Although he was well-known locally, he was content with his beekeeping and his simple life.
In the Summer of 1984, Shavitz met an artist named Roxanne Quimby. As the beekeeper had plenty of leftover wax, Quimby suggested using the byproduct to make candles, which she planned to sell at craft fairs.
The beeswax candles were an instant success, and Shavitz and Quimby founded the company Burt’s Bees. By 1989, the unique candles were being shipped to shops and boutiques throughout the United States.
In the late 1980s, Quimby found a recipe for beeswax lip balm in a journal dating back to the 1800s. Although it took several years to perfect, Burt’s Beeswax Lip Balm debuted in 1991.
Our co-founder and namesake, Burt Shavitz, has left for greener fields and wilder woods, but his spirit lives on. pic.twitter.com/7mTy2988FX
— Burt’s Bees (@BurtsBees) July 5, 2015
As reported on the company’s official website, the original lip balm remains Burt’s Bees’ greatest success. However, Burt Shavitz and Roxanne Quimby eventually expanded their health and beauty products to include lip gloss, moisturizer, acne treatments, and soaps.
As Burt’s Bees strives to provide natural products for “The Greater Good,” the company remains one of the most popular, and well-respected, manufacturers of health and beauty products in the world.
USA Today reports Burt’s Bees was sold to Clorox in 2007 for nearly $930 million. However, there is much controversy about the nature of the sale — and Burt Shavitz’s parting with the company he helped found.
.@BurtsBees co-founder Burt Shavitz dies at 80 #RIP http://t.co/rE4C02Iak5 pic.twitter.com/DtkyVjfVP5
— TorontoStar (@TorontoStar) July 6, 2015
In a June 2014 interview, the former beekeeper said he was essentially “forced out by co-founder Roxanne Quimby… after he had an affair with a ‘college aged’ employee.”
Shavitz has never disclosed how much, or little, he received when the company was sold. However, as reported by Daily Mail, he lived his last days in “a cluttered house that has no hot water.”
Although he was certainly entitled to at least half of the proceeds from the sale to Clorox, Shavitz insisted he was content with his simple lifestyle.
“… money is nothing really worth squabbling about. This is what puts people six feet under. You know, I don’t need it… Roxanne Quimby wanted money and power, and I was just a pillar on the way to that success.”
By all accounts, Burt Shavitz was a perpetual hippie, who strove to live an uncomplicated life. In the end, the former beekeeper said he had everything he ever wanted or needed.
[Image via Larry Busacca/Getty Images]
