Maxwell’s Farm announces closure after more than 50 years in business in Cape Elizabeth

A beloved Cape Elizabeth strawberry farm is closing its doors after more than half a century in business, family-run Maxwell’s Farm announced Sunday.

As a child, Pauline Jones spent her summers at her grandmother’s house on Two Lights Road.

“It was always a big event for us kids to be here for the Fourth of July. And the Fourth of July always meant fresh salmon, peas and Maxwell’s strawberry shortcake,” Jones said.

Jones said half the fun comes from picking your own strawberries.

“They gave us boxes and we picked them, but it was irresistible. These are fresh strawberries for Maxwell’s, and they can’t compare to what you get at a supermarket chain. The fresh ones are the best,” she said.

Maxwell Farm began operating in the 1970s, but the farmland has been in the Maxwell-Bamford family since 1772. Just a few weeks ago, a fruit fly infestation forced the farm to cancel its strawberry picking season for the summer. While the Bamford family said there was no specific reason for the farm’s permanent closure, Caitlin Jordan Harriman, third-generation owner of nearby Alewives Brook Farm, said financial pressures, declining consumer demand and the effects of increased real estate development have made farming in Cape Elizabeth increasingly difficult.

“Houses are going up everywhere, property taxes are going up, it seems like fewer people are coming to farms,” Harriman said. “And so with that change in the times, people are shopping, making things, you know, making their lives easier, getting things delivered, ordering groceries online. I don’t know, they have different priorities, I guess.”

Jordan Harriman said she understood Bamford’s decision to close.

“It’s an incredibly difficult decision and it’s one that our farm has faced and continues to face, like becoming the next generation or taking over,” Jordan Harriman said. “You know, is this something I want to do for the next 40 years, just like my dad did? Or should I do what Maxwell’s doing, you know, their kids have other lives and do different things.”

More than a decade ago, in an effort to survive, 17 Cape farms, including Maxwell’s, formed the Cape Farm Alliance to support farmers in the area. Harriman said she and the other farmers feel Maxwell’s loss.

“In Cape Elizabeth, the agricultural community is very tight-knit and close-knit, I think, above most agricultural communities in our state or country. We all care about each other and want to work together to achieve the same goals.”

People outside the farming community are also mourning the loss. Hundreds of people have posted messages of support on the farm’s Facebook page. Many comments express hope that the land will continue to be used for farming. Pauline Jones echoes this sentiment.

“It would be sad to see it turned into houses, I have to be honest, it would be a sad thing. Cape Town has changed so much over the years that we have lost a lot of farmland.”

It remains to be seen whether the land will continue to be used for agriculture. Fortunately for Jones and other supporters, a 2020 conservation agreement between the Bamfords and the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust stipulates that homes will never be built on the 33 hectares of farmland.