California Coffee Pioneers Jay and Kristen Ruskey Die in Sudden Accident
A Central Coast couple who spearheaded California’s burgeoning coffee-growing industry died Sunday in what authorities are calling a “tragic accident.” Jay and Kristen Ruskey, owners of Good Land Organics and co-founders of Frinj Coffee, were found deceased at a home in Cambria, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department.
The Sheriff’s Department confirmed the deaths on Tuesday, stating that the incident does not appear to be suspicious. Autopsies were performed on Thursday, with toxicology results anticipated in the coming weeks, said department spokesperson Tony Cipolla.
The Ruskeys are survived by three children: Kasurina, 19 and 16-year-old twins, Sean and Aiden. A GoFundMe campaign launched to support the family with funeral expenses, memorial arrangements, and ongoing needs had raised over $133,000 as of Friday afternoon.
Jay Ruskey was a pioneer in establishing coffee cultivation in California, a feat previously considered improbable. He founded Good Land Organics in the early 1990s, initially focusing on exotic fruit cultivation in Goleta. In 2017, the couple launched Frinj Coffee, building on years of experimentation with coffee trees that began in 2002.
“I have always been passionate about crop adaptation,” Ruskey told the Los Angeles Times in 2024. “I was working with the UC Cooperative Extension Service to plant lychee and longans when Dr. Mark Gaskell, a small berry crop expert, gave me 40 coffee plants and encouraged me to try planting them side by side with other plants.”
The Ruskeys’ work extended beyond their own farm. They played a crucial role in developing over 65 coffee farms across Southern California, cultivating 14 different coffee varieties. Jay Ruskey was recognized as the first farmer to sell locally grown coffee within the state.
Despite facing financial challenges, including a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in 2024, Frinj Coffee demonstrated resilience. The company restructured and, earlier this year, achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first California-based coffee grower to participate in the prestigious Dubai Coffee Auction in January.
“We got California coffee showcased as a world-class coffee with the best coffees in the world,” Ruskey shared in an email on January 26, following the competition. “Our washed Geisha stood out for flavor and cleanliness in the cup, and may have called it the best in the expo. We acquired some new interested buyers from other parts of the world who appreciate the coffee craftsmanship that we do at Frinj.”
At the auction, Ruskey successfully sold beans to Phylocoffee, a Japanese company owned by renowned brewer Tetsu Kasuya, for $356 per kilogram. He expressed enthusiasm about collaborating with Kasuya to introduce California-grown coffee to a wider global audience.
The couple’s sudden passing has sent shockwaves through the Santa Barbara farming community and beyond. Their legacy extends not only to the coffee farms they helped establish but also to the innovative spirit they brought to California agriculture.
