A Good Reason to Buy Local:
What Happens When an Agricultural Company Goes Public?

We normally don’t share this kind of information. We like to support an upbeat vibe when we connect with you. But, we felt in the service of our customers, we should do some consumer education. In this post, you’ll see why we urge you to buy from local farmers or to at least research the products you are buying.

Why We Decided to Share a Case Study

Several weeks ago, I listened to a dialogue between a famous doctor and a noted clean food blogger. I thought I had heard it all until these ladies started to talk about all of the green companies that have been purchased by corporate conglomerates. They went on to discuss how corporate vs. private ownership changes a green company. The question they posed is, “Will the products still be organic/natural/vegan/vegetarian when the stockholders want more profit or will they change their ingredients so that manufacturing costs less?”

Burt’s Bees, A Salutary Lesson

I felt shocked to learn that Burt’s Bees was bought by Clorox, the well-known bleach company, in 2008. Even though their website says that the company is greener than ever because of this takeover, does being owned by a publicly traded company change the products?

History of Burt’s Bees

Burt Shavitz, a free-spirited beekeeper in Maine, started Burt’s Bees, selling his honey on the roadside. He’s the “face” on the package. In 1984, he partnered with girlfriend, Roxanne Quimby, who asked to make products from the beeswax Burt’s bees produced, and they expanded to selling honey and beeswax products at local farmers markets, fairs, etc.

As Quimby continued to expand their business and the company moved to North Carolina, Burt became increasingly uncomfortable and sold his half of the company to Quimby in 1999. He continued to be a brand spokesperson, with his hippyish, socially-responsible ethic and demeanor. She continued to expand Burt’s Bees until it was ripe for corporate takeover. In 2008. Ms. Quimby sold Burt’s Bees to Clorox for $1 billion. Burt remained with his beloved house in Maine and really didn’t profit from the takeover.

Has Burt’s Bees Changed since the Takeover?

When Clorox talks about Burt’s Bees, they emphasize how acquiring this company has helped Clorox be more socially responsible. They have “greened” their offices. Their landscaping is filled with pollinator-friendly plants. Their employees dumpster dive and recycle.

But, How Did Their Products Change?

There are two major changes you should know about.

Less Healthy, Cheaper Ingredients

Although their ingredients are “nominally” natural, Clorox slowly has changed Burt’s ingredients so that the product costs less to manufacture. Let’s use their lip balm as an example. Before the takeover, the Burt’s Bees lip balm was 100% natural beeswax and was suitable for those who don’t use animal products. After reading, “Is Burt’s Bees Really Natural? on the morenature.com website, I found that:

The ingredients used in Burt’s Bees look good at first glance, but it’s the ingredients at the end of the list that are a little bit more questionable and obscure. What is lanolin? What is limonene? Tocopherol?

While limonene and tocopherol are found in plants in nature, lanolin is an oil that is secreted by the glands of sheep. Because of the addition of lanolin, Burt’s Bees lip balm is no longer suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Additionally, Burt’s Bees lip balm now has low quality filler ingredients. For people who choose to be soy- free, know that this lip balm has soybean oil in it. For those who are working on increasing cardiovascular health, please research canola oil. It comes from a hybrid of the rapeseed plant. The original rapeseed is not safe for human consumption and was used to make Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. The hybrid from which Canola Oil is produced has less (not none) of the offensive chemicals that make the rapeseed plant unsafe to eat.

Cannot Be Cruelty Free

With Clorox expanding Burt’s Bees markets into foreign countries, even though they still claim they are cruelty free and are included on the Leaping Bunny List, they can’t be. That is why Cruel Free Kitty removed them from her Cruelty Free List. This is what she said:

At this very moment, it’s my understanding that any products that Burt’s Bees is selling in mainland China can be pulled from the shelves and tested on animals in compliance with post-market animal testing law.

In my view, this means that Burt’s Bees is no longer a cruelty-free brand, and I’ve removed them from my list.

I’m still waiting on responses from Humane Society International, Leaping Bunny, and the company itself for more clarification.

The Bee Wild Difference – Accessibility

Bee Wild is a locally-owned and operated bee farm. We are accessible by phone, email, social media, and in person. The people who work in our booths at farmers markets and other local events love our bees and our knowledgeable about our products and the bee farm.

You can ask us questions about ingredients. You can make suggestions about our products. You can talk to the owner and find out the latest about what’s going on on the farm. You can assure yourself that we sell Raw North Georgia Honeys and that our products are natural.

You won’t get “canned answers” from corporate FAQs like these bloggers did when they contacted Clorox to find out how and why Burts’ Bees products are changing.

Even Better News!

Bee Wild has been working on an all natural formula for a lip balm, and it will be out during the first quarter of 2019. It’s an amazing collaboration among our core team members, including the instructor for our Urban Beekeeping class. Stay tuned for more news!