Gifford’s Announces Closure of Farmington, Maine, Ice Cream Stand

Even though Maine is home to thousands of businesses, there are only a handful of brands that are known by people beyond the boundaries of the state.

Like L.L.Bean, the Holy Donut, and Shipyard Brewing, for example.

Another brand that deserves to be on that list is Gifford's Ice Cream.

Gifford's Ice Cream

According to the ice cream company's website, the story of Gifford's starts on a small Maine dairy farm.  Thats's where Audrey and Randall Gifford started making small batches of ice cream.

The website explains that the ice cream was made using:

whipping up small batches of ice cream using Audrey’s parents’ simple recipes for strawberry, peach, wild blueberry, and coffee ice cream–neighbors clambered for a taste, and soon the family was making ice cream year-round to keep up with demand.

Now, over four decades after they served their first cones, Gifford's sells about a million ice cream cones each year.

Gifford's Ice Cream in Farmington, Maine

The second ice cream stand opened by the iconic company was in Farmington.  That stand opened way back in 1982.  Over the years, the stand has brought joy to families from around the Farmington area.

Now, after 42 years in business, the company has made the difficult decision to close that stand.

A Facebook post explained that between the flooding and the recent fire at their factory, they had to make the difficult decision to close the Farmington ice cream stand.

The post explained:

We explored every possible option, but after many months of deliberation, our family made the heartbreaking decision to close the stand after 42 wonderful years. We are profoundly grateful to the Farmington community and for the loyal support of our amazing customers over the years. The joy and memories we have shared with you will always have a place in our hearts. Thank you.

 

The post did not specify when the stand would close, but it appears the closure may be effective immediately.

The company still has ice cream stands in Waterville, Skowhegan, and Bangor.