A Goleta couple known for pioneering California’s modern coffee-growing movement was found dead earlier this month in Cambria, authorities said.
Jay and Kristen Ruskey died Feb. 8, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office. Officials said their deaths are not considered suspicious. A cause of death has not been determined, and autopsy results are pending. Authorities expect toxicology results to be completed within about three weeks.
The Ruskeys were co-founders of Frinj Coffee, a company credited with helping launch more than 70 coffee farms across Southern California.
Farming in the hills of western Goleta, the couple became widely recognized for advancing locally grown coffee production in a region traditionally not associated with the crop.
Community members said the couple’s work had a lasting impact on the area’s agricultural landscape.
“It’s very unfortunate and sad,” said Freddy Diaz, a farmworker at John Givens Farm. “Sometimes, when something like this happens, the children aren’t able to continue operations, and farms shut down. That’s a real loss for the community.”
The Ruskeys are survived by their three children.
