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Burt Shavitz of Burt’s Bees dies at 80
PARKMAN, Maine — Burt Shavitz, the Burt behind Burt’s Bees who co-founded the natural cosmetics company before it sold to Clorox, has died. He was 80.
A spokeswoman for Burt’s Bees says Shavtiz died Sunday at his home in rural Maine, surrounded by family and friends.
Shavitz was a hippie making a living by selling honey when his life was altered by a chance encounter with a hitchhiking Roxanne Quimby. She was a single mother and a back-to-the-lander who impressed Shavitz with her ingenuity.
In the 1980s she began making products from his beeswax, and they became partners.
An image of Burt’s face – and his untamed beard – was featured on labels.
Their business partnership ended after the business moved in 1994 to North Carolina. In 2007, Clorox purchased Burt’s Bees for 5 million.
