This whole thing started on account of all the beeswax.
Burt Shavitz and Roxanne Quimby created Burt’s Bees in the early 1980s. In their former lives, Burt worked as a photojournalist in Manhattan, and Roxanne was an artist living in San Francisco. Each left behind the harried pace of city life to seek—and eventually find—freedom in the remote, pristine wilderness of Maine.
Roxanne the artist, Rufus the dog & Burt the beekeeper
Roxanne the artist, Rufus the dog & Burt the beekeeper
Roxanne the artist, Rufus the dog & Burt the beekeeper
Burt settled into a new life as the local “bee man” after finding a stray beehive and learning how to eke out a living selling honey. One day, Burt pulled over for a hitchhiking Roxanne in his schoolbus-yellow pickup truck, and the two hit it off. Burt was a resourceful guy; he’d been stowing away the surplus beeswax from his honey business, knowing it might eventually come in handy. Burt taught Roxanne about his bees, and she found a book of recipes which they used to turn their waxy bounty into things like candles (in 1984) and lip balm (in 1991—that one turned out to be a keeper).
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Burt’s original beehives were labeled “Burt’s Bees” so he could track them down if (ok, when) bee thieves carried them off.
Burt settled into a new life as the local “bee man” after finding a stray beehive and learning how to eke out a living selling honey. One day, Burt pulled over for a hitchhiking Roxanne in his schoolbus-yellow pickup truck, and the two hit it off. Burt was a resourceful guy; he’d been stowing away the surplus beeswax from his honey business, knowing it might eventually come in handy. Burt taught Roxanne about his bees, and she found a book of recipes which they used to turn their waxy bounty into things like candles (in 1984) and lip balm (in 1991—that one turned out to be a keeper).
Burt and Roxanne valued the simple life, and knew the importance and personal worth of staying connected to nature. Their lifestyle was low-impact, and socially and environmentally conscious. As back-to-basics, D-I-Y types, they were ahead of their time—their approach is as compelling now as ever.
Roxanne used to say that since we take from nature, we must respect and preserve it. Today, we follow in her and Burt’s footsteps by using the best ingredients from nature, and in turn respecting nature so we can all live well.
What Sets Us Apart
Burt (and his railroad hat) living the dream
Beeswax Candles: One of our first bright ideas
Our original lip balm—in terracotta pots!
Burt and Roxanne valued the simple life, and knew the importance and personal worth of staying connected to nature. Their lifestyle was low-impact, and socially and environmentally conscious. As back-to-basics, D-I-Y types, they were ahead of their time—their approach is as compelling now as ever.
Roxanne used to say that since we take from nature, we must respect and preserve it. Today, we follow in her and Burt’s footsteps by using the best ingredients from nature, and in turn respecting nature so we can all live well.
What Sets Us ApartNo one can do everything, but everyone can do something.
– Roxanne
No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.
– Roxanne
Safeguarding our wild spaces
You Are Here
You Are Here
You Are Here
After selling her stake in Burt’s Bees, Roxanne began working to safeguard our wild spaces for generations to come. She started a philanthropic foundation, gave $90 million to charities, and bought over 87,000 acres of pristine Maine woodland that she then donated to the National Park Service. Consider this her standing invitation to get out there and explore.
More from Forbes
Safeguarding our wild spaces
Safeguarding our wild spaces
Roxanne recounts her journey in this episode of NPR’s How I Built This.
Give it a Listen
When Burt left New York City, being surrounded by nature (including his bees and beloved golden retrievers) and living with less was his goal. He realized it by converting this 300-square-foot turkey coop into a cozy cabin home. (Who needs heat or electricity with those views?) It was his favorite place to be; he spent his last years on that land. After his passing, the cabin was moved from Maine to our Durham headquarters, so visitors can see just how freeing a downsized life can be.
BURT’S?TURKEY COOP
Burt and Pasha, taking it all in
SEE HOW? WE MOVED THE COOP
I’m less interested in the inside of what I own, than the outside of what it sits on.
– Burt
Find your own open road
Watch?
The Nature Of Burt
I’m less interested in the inside of what I own, than the outside of what it sits on.
– Burt
We started melting and mixing beeswax in a ramshackle kitchen in Maine, grew into an abandoned schoolhouse, upgraded to bowling alley and finally pulled up stakes and headed south to North Carolina, where we settled into our current home—a former tobacco warehouse in the heart of downtown Durham.
Born in Maine
The Old Schoolhouse
The Bowling Alley
Planted in North Carolina
Planted in North Carolina
Planted in North Carolina
Take a tour of our digs
Our building’s buzzy mural is part of artist Matthew Willey’s Good of the Hive project; his goal is to paint 50,000 bees in murals around the world.
Burt’s turkey coop-turned-home sits just outside our doors.
At just 300 square feet, the coop is a living-with-less landmark.
Once a tobacco warehouse, our HQ is now home to way-better-for-you products.
A living wall greens up the entryway.
Our Observation Hive (the largest in NC) is home to thousands of local bees.
The bees use an outdoor entrance to come and go; it’s marked with a photo of Burt that helps them find their way home.
Our wide-open product lab, made possible by ingredients from nature.
A daily dose of wisdom.
No desk trash cans here—we have multiple trash sorting stations instead.