Burt Shavitz Passes at 80

Burt Shavitz, co-founder of Burt’s Bees, passed away on July 5 among family and friends in his hometown in Maine. He was 80.
 
Shavitz, who sold honey from a roadside stand, met Roxanne Quimby in 1984. She started making candles from Shavitz's beeswax, and the pair made $200 at their first craft fair selling the candles. Within a year, the duo pulled in $20,000, according to a company timeline.

The iconic Burt’s Bees lip balm debuted in 1991, and by 1994, the fast-growing firm had moved from Maine to North Carolina to expand its beauty and healthcare products business.
 
Burt's Bees was sold for $1 billion to Clorox in 2007.
 
The beekeeper, sustainability leader and natural products leader was also a photojournalist, captuiring New York City in the 1960s – key figures in the civil rights movement, beat poets, artists, and images central to the burgeoning environmental movement.
 
A statement released by the company stated, “As we mourn his loss in the days and weeks to come, we will be exploring how to honor and celebrate his remarkable life, to ensure that his legacy and timely ethos are tangible in each of us as individuals, in the brand we so passionately steward, and in our collective impact on our shared home and future generations.”  
 
Also, those who wish to share memories or condolences, were asked to do so at [email protected].