Burt’s Bees cofounder Burt Shavitz dead at 80

Shavitz, who died yesterday at his household in rural Maine, and that hitchhiker would eventually come to be business enterprise partners. Sebago Lake in Maine was like “the Garden of Eden”, he told the New York Times in 2014, with “all these lakes, ponds and streams, and zero restrictions”.

Mr. Shavitz worked as a photojournalist in New York in the 1960s before moving to Maine to become a beekeeper.

According to Mental Floss, Shavitz sold the honey from his truck. Through his company, he focused on on the perilous relationship between bees, humans and food with causes like The Burt’s Bees Greater Good Foundation. He already possessed all the tools to have the business.

“I’ve got everything I need”, he said in an interview with the New Yorker.

However, Shavitz and Quimby’s partnership broke down in 1994 when she took the company to North Carolina and forced Shavitz out of the company with accusations of sexual harassment. Their personal care products can now be found in 40 countries.

“The pair made $200 at their first craft fair selling the candles, and within a year, pulled in $20,000, according to a company timeline”. It began as a gift and health-food store line best known for beeswax lip balm and an unconventional style. An image of Burt’s face – and his untamed beard – was featured on labels.

Despite the eventual profit from the company he helped create, Shavitz continued to live a simple life on his 37 acres of land in the corner of Maine.

Burt Shavitz has had a love affair with bees long before he co-founded Burt’s Bees.

While discussing his life with a filmmaker for “Burt’s Buzz” in 2013, he didn’t seem too upset about missing out on such a big payday. Quimby received $141.6 million in exchange for the company relinquishing 80 percent.

“The two together founded Burt’s Bees, a company whose all-natural products and homespun marketing appealed to hippies, homemakers and the well-heeled alike”, Curtis writes. “If there is one thing we will remember from Burt’s life, in our fast-paced, high-tech culture, it’s to never lose sight of our relationship with nature”. Shavitz stated he was not concerned about making money, but relished the privilege of living on his land with the beauty of the seasons.