Ingram Berg Shavitz - Burt's Bees Founder

Burt Shavitz Biography - Burt's Bees Founder Dead at 80Ingram Berg Shavitz (May 15, 1935 – July 5, 2015), known as Burt Shavitz, was an American beekeeper and businessman notable for founding the Burt's Bees personal care products company with businesswoman Roxanne Quimby. Shavitz's likeness was featured on the Burt's Bees products. Burt Shavitz, born Ingram Shavitz on May 15, 1935 in Manhattan, was raised in Great Neck, New York, and changed his name in 1953 when he finished high school. He spent time in the Army, and later while living in Manhattan, he took photographs that appeared in Time and Life magazines.

Shavitz eventually settled in Maine, discovered beekeeping as a source of income and met Roxanne Quimby, who would sell his wax candles at local fairs. An increase in sales and production led to them launching Burt's Bees in the 1980s. As the partnership and business grew, operations were set up in North Carolina in 1994. Soon thereafter, the partnership between Shavitz and Quimby waned, leading to Quimby buying out Shavitz's stake in the company. In 2007, Clorox purchased Burt's Bees for more than $900 million. A documentary film, Burt's Buzz, was released in 2014. The film discussed the life of Shavitz, his history with Burt's Bees, and his later activities as a beekeeper and businessman. Shavitz died on July 5, 2015 in Bangor, Maine, from respiratory problems. He resided in Parkman, Maine.

Burt's Bees is an American personal care products subsidiary of Clorox that describes itself as an "Earth friendly, Natural Personal Care Company" making products for personal care, health, beauty, and personal hygiene. As of 2007, they manufactured over 197 products for facial and body skin care, lip care, hair care, baby care, men's grooming, and outdoor remedies distributed in nearly 30,000 retail outlets including grocery stores and drug store chains across the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Hong Kong, and Taiwan from their headquarters in Durham, North Carolina. Burt's Bees manufactures their products with natural ingredients using minimal processing such as distillation/condensation, extraction/steamed distillation/pressure cooking, and hydrolysis to maintain the purity of those ingredients.

In addition, every product has a "natural bar" which gives a percentage of natural ingredients in that product, often with detailed ingredient descriptions. Originating in Maine in the 1980s, the business began when co-founder Roxanne Quimby started making candles from Burt Shavitz's leftover beeswax. This eventually led to their bottling and selling of honey, a practice that slowly diminished as the company evolved as a corporation. Eventually, other products using honey and beeswax, including edible spreads and furniture polish, were sold, before moving into the personal care line. In late 2007, Clorox purchased Burt's Bees for $925 million USD.
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