Burt's Bees
Encyclopedia
Burt's Bees is an American personal care
products company 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.
Burt's Bees operates under a business model referred to as "The Greater Good," which outlines that all company practices must be socially responsible. To reflect this philosophy, Burt's Bees uses all natural ingredients, engages in environmentally friendly business practices, and extends its humanitarian efforts to the community at large.
Originating in Maine
in the 1980s, the business began when co-founder Roxanne Quimby started making candles from Burt Shavitz's leftover beeswax.
Their attention to quality brought success and eventually led to the 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, the Clorox Company purchased Burt's Bees.
amongst many other high-tech companies and enterprises in the Research Triangle
area of North Carolina. An eCommerce website was launched allowing distribution in a much larger, nationwide scale.
, first shampoo
, and successful Baby Bee product line of infant personal care products. The founder, Roxanne Quimby, also used company-earned profits to preserve 185000 acres (748.7 km²) of forest land in Maine, marking the beginning of a relationship with The Nature Conservancy
, an international organization engaged in environmental protection
and conservation
.
, purchased 80% of Burt's Bees for $173,000,000 USD, with co-founder, Roxanne Quimby, retaining a 20% share and a seat on the board.
executive with CFO experience also at The Athlete's Foot Group and 21st Century Newspapers, Inc. joined Burt's Bees in May as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
Michael Indursky, a former Garnier
and Unilever
executive joined Burt's Bees in July to head Burt's Bees marketing and public relations group.
, a former general manager of Unilever
's skin care division, became the Chief Executive Officer and President, effective from January 19, 2006. Prior to joining Unilever, Replogle served as President of Guinness Bass Import Company, Managing Director of Guinness Great Britain and had several roles in Marketing, Sales and Strategy with Diageo.. Replogle left to become CEO and President of Seventh Generation Inc.
in February 2011.
, UK, Ireland
, Canada
, Hong Kong
, and Taiwan
.
In late 2007, the Clorox Company
acquired Burt's Bees for the reported sum of $925,000,000 USD. The company subsequently released a statement to their customers.
graduate who joined Clorox in 1995 as a sales manager. He previously was vice president of the company's Laundry, Brita and Green Works brands.
Personal care
Personal care or toiletries is the industry which manufactures consumer products used for beautification and in personal hygiene.-Subsectors:Subsectors of personal care include cosmetics and feminine hygiene....
products company that describes itself as an "Earth friendly
Environmentally friendly
Environmentally friendly are terms used to refer to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies claimed to inflict minimal or no harm on the environment....
, Natural Personal Care Company"
making products for personal care, health, beauty, and personal hygiene
Hygiene
Hygiene refers to the set of practices perceived by a community to be associated with the preservation of health and healthy living. While in modern medical sciences there is a set of standards of hygiene recommended for different situations, what is considered hygienic or not can vary between...
. 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 States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
from their headquarters in Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
.
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.
Burt's Bees operates under a business model referred to as "The Greater Good," which outlines that all company practices must be socially responsible. To reflect this philosophy, Burt's Bees uses all natural ingredients, engages in environmentally friendly business practices, and extends its humanitarian efforts to the community at large.
Originating in Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
in the 1980s, the business began when co-founder Roxanne Quimby started making candles from Burt Shavitz's leftover beeswax.
Their attention to quality brought success and eventually led to the bottling and selling of honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
, a practice that slowly diminished as the company evolved as a corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
. Eventually, other products using honey and beeswax
Beeswax
Beeswax is a natural wax produced in the bee hive of honey bees of the genus Apis. It is mainly esters of fatty acids and various long chain alcohols...
, including edible spreads and furniture polish, were sold, before moving into the personal care line.
In late 2007, the Clorox Company purchased Burt's Bees.
Timeline
- 1984: Burt's Bees originated in MaineMaineMaine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
as a candle makingHistory of candle makingCandle making was developed independently in many countries throughout history. The earliest known candles were made from whale fat by the Chinese, during the Qin Dynasty . In early China and Japan, tapers were made with wax from insects and seeds, wrapped in paper. In India, wax from boiling...
partnership between Roxanne QuimbyRoxanne QuimbyRoxanne Quimby is an American businesswomen notable for founding the Burt's Bees personal care products company with beekeeper Burt Shavitz.Quimby was originally from Lexington, Massachusetts, a daughter of an engineer and salesman father...
and Burt Shavitz in 1984. Shavitz had a honeyHoneyHoney is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
business which provided the excess beeswaxBeeswaxBeeswax is a natural wax produced in the bee hive of honey bees of the genus Apis. It is mainly esters of fatty acids and various long chain alcohols...
needed for the candles and Quimby's focus on maintaining high quality helped to grow their business from an initial $200 at the Dover-Foxcroft Junior High School craft fair to $20,000 by the end of their first year. Their first headquarters was an abandoned one-room schoolhouse rented out from a friend for $150 a year.
- 1989: Burt's Bees increased production after a New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
boutique, Zona, ordered hundreds of their beeswax candles. Forty additional employees were hired and an abandoned bowling alley became their new manufacturing location. During this time, Quimby found a 19th century book of home-made personal care recipes and Burt's Bees entered into the personal care products industry.
- 1991: Burt's Bees became incorporatedIncorporation (business)Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
and had a product offering including candles, natural soapSoapIn chemistry, soap is a salt of a fatty acid.IUPAC. "" Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. . Compiled by A. D. McNaught and A. Wilkinson. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford . XML on-line corrected version: created by M. Nic, J. Jirat, B. Kosata; updates compiled by A. Jenkins. ISBN...
s, perfumePerfumePerfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and/or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces "a pleasant scent"...
s, and eventually lip balm, which became their best-selling product.
- 1993: Quimby bought out Shavitz's shares in the company. Increasing demand and product offerings necessitated a move from Maine headquarters to North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
where other personal care product manufacturers were also situated. Burt's Bees changed its focus to exclusively personal care products.
- 1994: The new manufacturing location was in an 18000 square feet (1,672.3 m²) former garment factory in CreedmoorCreedmoor, North CarolinaCreedmoor is a city in Granville County, North Carolina, United States . The population was 4,124 at the 2010 census.-Brief History of the Town:...
, North Carolina. Automated machines, such as a former cafeteria mixer from Duke UniversityDuke UniversityDuke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, were introduced to increase production, although Burt's Bees continued to focus on the "home-made" product theme. Chapel HillChapel Hill, North CarolinaChapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
was the site of the first Burt's Bees retail store which offered 50 natural personal care products. Distribution and demand of products had also reached the Japanese market.
- 1998: Burt's Bees was offering over 100 natural personal care products in 4,000 locations with sales in excess of $8 million dollars. Distribution had reached higher-end national retailers such as Whole Foods MarketWhole Foods MarketWhole Foods Market is a foods supermarket chain based in Austin, Texas which emphasizes "natural and organic products." The company has been ranked among the most socially responsible businesses and placed third on the U.S...
and Cracker BarrelCracker BarrelCracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. is an American chain of combined restaurant and gift stores with a Southern country theme. The company was founded by Dan Evins in 1969 and its first store was located in Lebanon, Tennessee, where the company is now headquartered...
. New product offerings branched into travel-sized skin care and hair care products.
1999
Again, with increasing demand and an increase product offering including sugar and milk-based body lotions and bath products, Burt's Bees relocated to DurhamDurham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
amongst many other high-tech companies and enterprises in the Research Triangle
The Triangle (North Carolina)
The Research Triangle, also known as Raleigh-Durham and commonly referred to as simply "The Triangle", is a region in the Piedmont of North Carolina in the United States, anchored by North Carolina State University, Duke University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and cities of...
area of North Carolina. An eCommerce website was launched allowing distribution in a much larger, nationwide scale.
2002–2003
Burt's Bees launched its first toothpasteToothpaste
Toothpaste is a paste or gel dentifrice used with a toothbrush as an accessory to clean and maintain the aesthetics and health of teeth. Toothpaste is used to promote oral hygiene: it serves as an abrasive that aids in removing the dental plaque and food from the teeth, assists in suppressing...
, first shampoo
Shampoo
Shampoo is a hair care product used for the removal of oils, dirt, skin particles, dandruff, environmental pollutants and other contaminant particles that gradually build up in hair...
, and successful Baby Bee product line of infant personal care products. The founder, Roxanne Quimby, also used company-earned profits to preserve 185000 acres (748.7 km²) of forest land in Maine, marking the beginning of a relationship with The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....
, an international organization engaged in environmental protection
Environmental protection
Environmental protection is a practice of protecting the environment, on individual, organizational or governmental level, for the benefit of the natural environment and humans. Due to the pressures of population and our technology the biophysical environment is being degraded, sometimes permanently...
and conservation
Habitat conservation
Habitat conservation is a land management practice that seeks to conserve, protect and restore, habitat areas for wild plants and animals, especially conservation reliant species, and prevent their extinction, fragmentation or reduction in range...
.
2004
Private equity firm, AEA InvestorsAEA Investors
AEA Investors is one of the oldest private equity investment firm in the United States. The firm focuses on leveraged buyout, growth capital and mezzanine capital investments in manufacturing, service, distribution, specialty chemicals, consumer product and business services companies in the...
, purchased 80% of Burt's Bees for $173,000,000 USD, with co-founder, Roxanne Quimby, retaining a 20% share and a seat on the board.
2005
Douglas Haensel, a former GEGê
Gê are the people who spoke Ge languages of the northern South American Caribbean coast and Brazil. In Brazil the Gê were found in Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Bahia, Piaui, Mato Grosso, Goias, Tocantins, Maranhão, and as far south as Paraguay....
executive with CFO experience also at The Athlete's Foot Group and 21st Century Newspapers, Inc. joined Burt's Bees in May as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
Michael Indursky, a former Garnier
Garnier
Garnier is a mass market cosmetics brand of L'Oréal that produces hair care and skin care products. Much like other brands from L'Oréal, it is sold in several markets around the world.- Advertising Slogans :...
and Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
executive joined Burt's Bees in July to head Burt's Bees marketing and public relations group.
2006
John ReplogleJohn Replogle
John Replogle is the President and CEO of Seventh Generation Inc., a U.S.-based, consumer product company.- Life and career :Replogle earned an A.B. in government from Dartmouth College in 1988. While a student at Dartmouth, he served as student body president and was a member of Bones Gate...
, a former general manager of Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
's skin care division, became the Chief Executive Officer and President, effective from January 19, 2006. Prior to joining Unilever, Replogle served as President of Guinness Bass Import Company, Managing Director of Guinness Great Britain and had several roles in Marketing, Sales and Strategy with Diageo.. Replogle left to become CEO and President of Seventh Generation Inc.
Seventh Generation Inc.
Seventh Generation, Inc. is an American company that sells cleaning, paper, and personal care products. The company was founded in 1988 and is based in Burlington, Vermont. The company focuses its marketing and product development on sustainability and the conservation of natural resources...
in February 2011.
2007
Burt's Bees currently offers over 150 natural personal care products in 30,000 retail locations and sales in excess of $250 million (2006) with satellite offices across the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, UK, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
In late 2007, the Clorox Company
Clorox
The Clorox Company is a US-based manufacturer of various food and chemical products based in Oakland, California, which is best known for its bleach product, Clorox.- History :...
acquired Burt's Bees for the reported sum of $925,000,000 USD. The company subsequently released a statement to their customers.
2011
Nick Vlahos, a 15-year veteran of The Clorox Company was named Vice President and General Manager of Burt's Bees, effective April 2011. Vlahos is an Indiana UniversityIndiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
graduate who joined Clorox in 1995 as a sales manager. He previously was vice president of the company's Laundry, Brita and Green Works brands.