As one of the most talked-about figures, Burt Shavitz has built a significant fortune. Our team analyzed the latest data to provide a clear picture of their income.

What was Burt Shavitz's net worth?

In 2004, a private equity firm bought 80% of Burt's from Roxanne a few years later for $173 million. After this buyout, Burt threatened to sue Roxanne until she finally gave him $4 million. She agreed. Clorox purchased Burt's Bees entirely for over $925 million in 2007. He continued earning a salary to be the spokesman and make personal appearances for the company for the remainder of his life.

(Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)

In 2013, a documentary called "Burt's Buzz," was released. The film discussed the life of Shavitz as it related to being a beekeeper and businessman.

Quimby began by making candles from Shavitz's leftover beeswax, selling them at local craft fairs. The partnership proved successful, and they soon expanded into other products, including the now-famous beeswax lip balm. Shavitz's bearded face and distinctive cap became the company's logo, lending an authentic, rustic image that appealed to consumers seeking natural products. The company grew rapidly through the late 1980s and early 1990s, moving its operations to North Carolina to accommodate expansion.

Ingram Berg Shavitz was born in Manhattan, NY, on May 15, 1935. Shavitz grew up in a middle-class Jewish family. After serving in the military, he pursued a career as a photojournalist in New York City during the 1960s, shooting for publications like Time and Life magazines. His subjects included prominent civil rights rallies and emerging counterculture movements. However, by the early 1970s, Shavitz had grown disillusioned with city life and decided to pursue a simpler existence in rural Maine.

Burt Shavitz was an American beekeeper and businessman who had a net worth of $2 million at the time of his death. Burt Shavitz died on July 5, 2015, at the age of 80.

Early Life and Career in Photography

Shavitz was best known for co-founding and being the face of the Burt's Bees personal care products company. Burt co-founded Burt's Bees with a single mother/wax candle maker,Roxanne Quimby. They met in 1984 when he picked Roxanne and her young daughter up as hitchhikers. They became business and romantic partners soon after that first encounter. Shavitz and Quimby started off making candles from leftover beeswax and then started bottling and selling honey before starting to use honey and beeswax in other products. They eventually released a line of personal care products that includes everything from lip balm to skincare, makeup, and shampoo. Shavitz's image and name became synonymous with the brand's earth-friendly ethos, though his actual involvement with the company was relatively brief. Known for his reclusive nature and simple lifestyle, Shavitz preferred living in a converted turkey coop in Maine to the trappings of corporate success, even after the company he helped create became a global phenomenon. By 1994, the company was generating $3 million per year in revenue and had moved to North Carolina. Around this time, their professional and personal relationship had deteriorated. Quimby bought out Shavitz's stake in the company for $130,000.

After relocating to Maine, Shavitz lived off the grid in a small cabin and began keeping bees, selling honey from the back of his pickup truck. He learned beekeeping from other local beekeepers and eventually acquired more hives, developing a small but sustainable honey business. It was during this period in 1984 that he had a chance encounter with Roxanne Quimby, a single mother living in a tent with her twin sons, who would become his business partner and transform his small honey operation into something much bigger.

Ultimately, Burt Shavitz's financial journey is a testament to their success.

Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.