California's first coffee harvest was just five years ago, and though the nascent crop is still small — production is expected to be six to eight times what it was last year.
It’s a Sunday afternoon at the San Francisco Coffee Festival at Fort Mason, and Jay Ruskey, founder of Frinj Coffee, is standing at his booth in front of a row of lush green plants wrapped in burlap. He picks up a Chemex and pours some of the aromatic, freshly brewed coffee into small cups. Ruskey and Frinj’s head roaster, Richard Masino, look up to see a long line of customers snaking out past several other festival booths.
The farm also grows ice cream beans, persimmons, pomegranates, passion fruit, dragon fruit, cherimoyas and caviar limes in soil that has become more fertile from the biodiversity of crops. William Ristenpart, director of the UC Davis Coffee Center and a professor of chemical engineering, has been following Frinj’s progress. “I love the idea of having a Napa Valley of coffee right here in California. That's what Jay and farmers are working towards,” Ristenpart says.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Relentless Storm Causes Devastating Damage in Southern CaliforniaRainfall from a relentless atmospheric river storm has already smashed records in Southern California, but the torrential weather has not let up, with even more mud and debris flows inundating roads and forcing evacuations. Hacienda Heights and La Habra Heights in eastern Los Angeles County became the latest hilly communities to see devastating damage from the historic rainfall.
Read more »
See rainfall records set so far by the February storm in Southern CaliforniaA storm that moved into Southern California Sunday quickly shattered long-standing rainfall records in Los Angeles. See rainfall records from the February…
Read more »
Evacuation orders and road closures in effect Tuesday in Southern CaliforniaHere are areas in L.A., Ventura, Orange, San Bernardino and Santa Barbara counties with evacuation orders or warnings in place. Sand and sand bags are available.
Read more »
U.S. military helicopter carrying 5 Marines goes missing in Southern CaliforniaMultiple agencies were searching for a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter that was reported missing in Southern California.
Read more »
Missing Marine helicopter is located in Southern California; no word on the crewThe helicopter was carrying five service members and left from Nevada.
Read more »
Flash flood warning issued for Ventura, LA counties with fast-moving storm coming to Southern CaliforniaThere's a collective sigh of relief as the last storm passes by Southern California and the sunshine returns.
Read more »