Iconic Hippie Founder of Burt’s Bees Dies

Burt Shavitz, who founded one of the most well-known American natural products brands, has passed away at his Maine home surrounded by family and friends, The Washington Post reported. Shavitz was 80 years old.

Although Shavitz's share was bought out almost 15 years ago, the company still commemorated the co-founder and posted an obituary on their website. It said: "Burt Shavitz, our co-founder and namesake, has left for greener fields and wilder woods. We remember him as a bearded, free-spirited Maine man, a beekeeper, a wisecracker, a lover of golden retrievers and his land. Above all, he taught us to never lose sight of our relationship with nature. Thanks for everything Burt. You will live in our hearts forever."

Shavitz was originally from New York and used to be a photographer before he became a beekeeper, which eventually led him to co-found the natural brand Burt's Bees.

One day during a storm  he ran into a swarm of bees, realising he already had all the equipment necessary to start beekeeping but the bees, he took action and thus started his first hive. But what made Shavitz become the co-founder of a natural cosmetics company rather than just staying as a beekeeper was his encounter with Roxanne Quimby, with whom he later co-founded Burt's Bees.

According to the company's website, it all started with a coincidence on a summer day in 1984. "It was the summer of "84, and Maine artist Roxanne Quimby was thumbing a ride home (back when you could still do that sort of thing). Eventually a bright yellow Datsun pickup truck pulled over, and Roxanne instantly recognized Burt Shavitz, a local fella whose beard was almost as well-known as his roadside honey stand. Burt and Roxanne hit it off, and before long, Roxanne was making candles with unused wax from Burt's beehives. They made $200 at their first craft fair; within a year, they'd make $20,000. Pretty auspicious beginning- but just the beginning, all the same." That small production is now a multi-million dollar company, owned by Clorox, The Post reported.

The Post noted that there were claims stating that Shavit's did not receive the amount he deserved when he was pushed out of the company while his partner Quinby made millions. However Shavitz himself did not seem to care about the financials too much. In the documentary "Burt's Buzz;" he reportedly said, "In the long run, I got the land, and land is everything. Money is nothing really worth squabbling about. This is what puts people six feet under. You know, I don't need it."

Apparently, his hippie look was not just about style but also his mentality and a way of life. The post reported that Shavitz was also critical of the corporate culture and also said, "I had no desire to be a upward-mobile rising yuppie with a trophy wife, a trophy house, a trophy car."