Preparing for First-Ever Coffee Harvest in San Diego County

by Fresh Cup Staff

Editorial Policy

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Jay Ruskey, back in 2013. Photo by Fran Collin.

[J]ay Ruskey started working with farmers throughout the San Diego area five years ago, convincing them to start planting a rather unusual crop for the area—coffee—among the very common avocado orchards. Now this upcoming summer, all that hard work and planning is paying off as Oceanside farmers begin to prepare for the region’s first-ever coffee harvest.

Jay Ruskey harvests coffee at Good Land Organics farm in Goleta, California, circa 2013. Photo courtesy of Tierra Mia Coffee.

Ruskey supports the farmers through his company Frinj Coffee Inc., in everything from sapling sourcing and field maintenance, to post-harvest product marketing. In an interview with 10 News San Diego, Ruskey said that he’s already planning to double the number of trees in San Diego county this year, and hopes to expand into the millions within the decade.

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