BUBLE

Burt's Bees Origin Story

By All Good Tales for now

Burt Shavitz was an eccentric loner from Long Island who never seemed to fit in with everyone else. After graduating high school he moved to Manhattan, where he became a photographer for Time and Life. One day in 1970, he realised he was terrified of growing old in a tiny apartment and decided to move to the country. Eventually, he dropped his anchor in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine. He grew his hair and beard and learned the art of beekeeping. Shavitz marked his hives with “Burt’s Bees” to keep them from being robbed and developed a reputation among locals for selling gallons of honey out of his truck on the side of the road.Burt's Bees

In the summer of 1984, he stopped his bright yellow pick up to give a ride to local artist Roxanne Quimby was thumbing on the road. Roxanne instantly recognised Burt Shavitz, whose beard was almost as well-known as his roadside honey stand. Burt and Roxanne fell in love and before long Roxanne was making candles with unused wax from Burt’s beehives. They made just $200 at their first craft fair but within a year they made $20,000. Shavitz showed Quimby an old beekeeping book filled with beeswax recipes, and the two began selling candles in addition to honey. Locals scooped them up, and the business partners began selling more products and growing distribution. They incorporated the company in 1991.

From those first candles to the company’s iconic beeswax, the Burt’s Bees brand has always remained true to a very simple idea: what you put on your body should be made from the best nature has to offer. Shavitz never shared Quimby’s passion for business growth. He was content selling just enough products to keep his simple lifestyle. But he agreed to become the face of the company, appearing in print ads and using his engraved portrait as its logo.

Shavitz and Quimby grew further apart as Burt’s Bees became more successful and Quimby’s vision became more ambitious. Things came to a head in 1994, when Quimby moved the company’s headquarters to Durham, North Carolina, and Shavitz left the company. He and Quimby split up. Quimby bought out Shavitz in 1999. Just five years later she sold 80% of Burt’s Bees to AEA Investors for $173 million, and then the Clorox Corporation acquired the company for $925 million in 2007.