diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index 0cdfad47..49f7695d 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ limitations under the License.
         <plugin>
           <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
           <artifactId>maven-surefire-plugin</artifactId>
-          <version>2.4.3</version>
+          <version>2.7.2</version>
         </plugin>
         <plugin>
           <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
@@ -224,7 +224,6 @@ limitations under the License.
       <plugin>
         <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
         <artifactId>maven-surefire-plugin</artifactId>
-        <version>2.7.2</version>
         <configuration>
           <forkMode>always</forkMode>
           <systemPropertyVariables>
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/CacheFactoryBean.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/CacheFactoryBean.java
index 8e805dd2..6137c649 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/CacheFactoryBean.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/CacheFactoryBean.java
@@ -62,17 +62,21 @@ public class CacheFactoryBean implements BeanNameAware, BeanFactoryAware, BeanCl
 	private Properties properties;
 	private DistributedSystem system;
 	private ClassLoader beanClassLoader;
-	private GemfireBeanFactoryLocator factoryLocator = new GemfireBeanFactoryLocator();
+	private GemfireBeanFactoryLocator factoryLocator;
 
 	private BeanFactory beanFactory;
 	private String beanName;
+	private boolean useBeanFactoryLocator = true;
+
 
 	public void afterPropertiesSet() throws Exception {
 		// initialize locator
-		factoryLocator.setBeanFactory(beanFactory);
-		factoryLocator.setBeanName(beanName);
-		factoryLocator.afterPropertiesSet();
-
+		if (useBeanFactoryLocator) {
+			factoryLocator = new GemfireBeanFactoryLocator();
+			factoryLocator.setBeanFactory(beanFactory);
+			factoryLocator.setBeanName(beanName);
+			factoryLocator.afterPropertiesSet();
+		}
 		Properties cfgProps = mergeProperties();
 		system = DistributedSystem.connect(cfgProps);
 
@@ -128,7 +132,10 @@ public class CacheFactoryBean implements BeanNameAware, BeanFactoryAware, BeanCl
 		}
 		system = null;
 
-		factoryLocator.destroy();
+		if (factoryLocator != null) {
+			factoryLocator.destroy();
+			factoryLocator = null;
+		}
 	}
 
 	public DataAccessException translateExceptionIfPossible(RuntimeException ex) {
@@ -187,4 +194,15 @@ public class CacheFactoryBean implements BeanNameAware, BeanFactoryAware, BeanCl
 	public void setCacheXml(Resource cacheXml) {
 		this.cacheXml = cacheXml;
 	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Indicates whether a bean factory locator is enabled (default) for this cache definition or not. The locator stores
+	 * the enclosing bean factory reference to allow auto-wiring of Spring beans into GemFire managed classes. Usually disabled
+	 * when the same cache is used in multiple application context/bean factories inside the same VM.
+	 * 
+	 * @param usage true if the bean factory locator is used underneath or not
+	 */
+	public void setUseBeanFactoryLocator(boolean usage) {
+		this.useBeanFactoryLocator = usage;
+	}
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/GemfireBeanFactoryLocator.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/GemfireBeanFactoryLocator.java
index 0e62916a..2b0eeca2 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/GemfireBeanFactoryLocator.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/GemfireBeanFactoryLocator.java
@@ -112,7 +112,8 @@ public class GemfireBeanFactoryLocator implements BeanFactoryLocator, BeanFactor
 				if (log.isDebugEnabled())
 					log.debug("adding key=" + name + " w/ reference=" + beanFactory);
 
-				if (beanFactories.containsKey(name) || beanFactories.putIfAbsent(name, beanFactory) != null) {
+				if (beanFactories.containsKey(name) && !beanFactory.equals(beanFactories.get(name))
+						|| beanFactories.putIfAbsent(name, beanFactory) != null) {
 					throw new IllegalArgumentException("a beanFactoryReference already exists for key " + factoryName);
 				}
 			}
@@ -120,10 +121,11 @@ public class GemfireBeanFactoryLocator implements BeanFactoryLocator, BeanFactor
 	}
 
 	public void destroy() {
-		for (String name : names) {
-			beanFactories.remove(name);
+		if (names != null) {
+			for (String name : names) {
+				beanFactories.remove(name);
+			}
 		}
-
 		if (beanFactory == defaultFactory) {
 			synchronized (GemfireBeanFactoryLocator.class) {
 				defaultFactory = null;
diff --git a/src/main/resources/org/springframework/data/gemfire/config/spring-gemfire-1.1.xsd b/src/main/resources/org/springframework/data/gemfire/config/spring-gemfire-1.1.xsd
index 184e391d..eb43844f 100644
--- a/src/main/resources/org/springframework/data/gemfire/config/spring-gemfire-1.1.xsd
+++ b/src/main/resources/org/springframework/data/gemfire/config/spring-gemfire-1.1.xsd
@@ -51,6 +51,15 @@ consider using a dedicated utility such as the <util:*/> namespace and its 'prop
 							]]></xsd:documentation>
 				</xsd:annotation>
 			</xsd:attribute>
+			<xsd:attribute name="use-bean-factory-locator" type="xsd:string" default="true" use="optional">
+				<xsd:annotation>
+					<xsd:documentation><![CDATA[
+Indicates whether a bean factory locator is enabled (default) for this cache definition or not. The locator stores
+the enclosing bean factory reference to allow auto-wiring of Spring beans into GemFire managed classes. Usually disabled
+when the same cache is used in multiple application context/bean factories inside the same VM.
+							]]></xsd:documentation>
+				</xsd:annotation>
+			</xsd:attribute>
 		</xsd:complexType>
 	</xsd:element>
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/CacheIntegrationTest.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/CacheIntegrationTest.java
index d2bfc72b..f01ada81 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/CacheIntegrationTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/CacheIntegrationTest.java
@@ -61,4 +61,5 @@ public class CacheIntegrationTest extends RecreatingContextTest{
 	public void testCacheWithXml() throws Exception {
 		Cache cache = ctx.getBean("cache-with-xml", Cache.class);
 	}
-}
+
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/config/CacheNamespaceTest.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/config/CacheNamespaceTest.java
index 675392ff..16287627 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/config/CacheNamespaceTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/config/CacheNamespaceTest.java
@@ -17,12 +17,14 @@
 package org.springframework.data.gemfire.config;
 
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertNotNull;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertNull;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
 
 import org.junit.Test;
 import org.springframework.core.io.Resource;
 import org.springframework.data.gemfire.CacheFactoryBean;
+import org.springframework.data.gemfire.GemfireBeanFactoryLocator;
 import org.springframework.data.gemfire.RecreatingContextTest;
 import org.springframework.data.gemfire.TestUtils;
 
@@ -61,4 +63,17 @@ public class CacheNamespaceTest extends RecreatingContextTest {
 		assertEquals(ctx.getBean("props"), TestUtils.readField("properties", cfb));
 	}
 
+	@Test(expected = IllegalArgumentException.class)
+	public void testNoBeanFactory() throws Exception {
+		assertTrue(ctx.containsBean("no-bl"));
+		CacheFactoryBean cfb = (CacheFactoryBean) ctx.getBean("&no-bl");
+		GemfireBeanFactoryLocator locator = new GemfireBeanFactoryLocator();
+		try {
+			assertNotNull(locator.useBeanFactory("cache-with-name"));
+			locator.useBeanFactory("no-bl");
+		} finally {
+			locator.destroy();
+		}
+	}
+
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/test/resources/org/springframework/data/gemfire/config/cache-ns.xml b/src/test/resources/org/springframework/data/gemfire/config/cache-ns.xml
index c3e03f48..e80adb57 100644
--- a/src/test/resources/org/springframework/data/gemfire/config/cache-ns.xml
+++ b/src/test/resources/org/springframework/data/gemfire/config/cache-ns.xml
@@ -21,4 +21,6 @@
 	<util:properties id="props">
 		<prop key="disable-tcp">false</prop>
 	</util:properties>
+	
+	<gfe:cache id="no-bl" use-bean-factory-locator="false" />
 </beans>
\ No newline at end of file