Jewish Beekeeper and Co-founder of Burt’s Bees Cosmetics Dies
Burt Shavitz, the co-founder of the Burt's Bees cosmetics company has died at the age of 80. The quirky straight-talking hippy' likeness became famous as the brand image of the company.
The world has lost another great soul. Burt Shavitz, the co-founder of the Burt’s Bees cosmetics company. He was 80 years old. Shavitz was a quirky straight talking hippy with a shaggy beard. And his look became famous as it was the brand image of the company. Burt’s Bees products are notorious for being earth friendly with natural ingredients. They are sold in many parts of the world.
Burt Shavitz’s original name was Ingram. He was born in Manhattan in 1935 and died of respiratory problems in Bangor, Maine, on Sunday. .
In the 1970’s, Shavitz started making honey in Maine. In the 1980’s, he met his future business partner, Roxanne Quimby. Together, they made products from beeswax.
In the mid 1990’s, Shavitz bought out Quimby’s business share of the company for an undisclosed sum before the company was sold to Clorox for $925 million in 2007. Shavitz said he was forced out of the company because he had an affair with an employee. In addition, to the buyout, he received 37 acres of land in Maine.
Shavitz was also the subject of the 2014 documentary, “Burt’s Buzz”, which delved into his unusual career and eventually reclusive life in Maine. He had three Golden Retrievers and is remembered by many as having been a bearded free spirited man who loved his land.
The full documentary can be found on Netflix.
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