VENTURA, CA, UNITED STATES, February 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — With profound sadness, the team at FRINJ Coffee, Inc. mourns the sudden passing of Jay and Kristen Ruskey on February 8, 2026. Jay Ruskey was our CEO. Kristen Ruskey was our fruit sales and events manager.
As we navigate this unimaginable loss, we send our deepest sympathy to the couple’s three teenage children. During this difficult time, the children are surrounded by family and friends. A GoFundMe campaign has been established to support the children.
Their parents, Jay and Kristen, were pioneering farmers with a lifetime of groundbreaking agricultural innovations. They developed and used regenerative, layered agriculture to produce exotic crops like caviar limes, dragon fruit, and cherimoyas. In 2012, they began to cultivate specialty coffee varietals on their farm, Condor Ridge Ranch, in the rolling hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
In 2017, FRINJ Coffee was co-founded by Jay Ruskey, Andy Mullins, Juan Medrano, Ph.D., and Lindsey Mesta. Jay became its CEO, and Andy its COO. Under their leadership, FRINJ Coffee helped develop the California Growers Association, with FRINJ providing specialized services to more than 70 coffee farms across Southern California. The vision, then and now, is to establish California farmers as leading producers of the world’s highest-quality specialty coffee.
To lead FRINJ Coffee and support its growth, Andy Mullins is assuming the role of CEO, effective immediately. He brings a wealth of experience to this position. Over the past ten years, Andy co-founded FRINJ, and served as its COO, a member of its board of directors, and chairman of its board. Also, he has been a coffee farmer. And notably, Andy has been the CEO and COO of four technology companies.
Dave Armstrong is assuming the role of FRINJ Coffee’s chairman of the board, effective immediately. For the past year, Dave served as a member of FRINJ’s board of directors. He is the CEO of Hobson Family Farms and oversees agricultural and commercial properties throughout Central California. He planted the largest FRINJ Coffee farm and helped establish FRINJ’s new coffee post-harvest facility in Ventura County, California. With a background in large commercial real estate planning, development, and investment, Dave is prepared to help guide FRINJ Coffee as it enters a new stage of expansion.
In January 2026, FRINJ Coffee made its international debut at the Dubai Coffee Auction, one of the most selective platforms for ultra-premium coffees. FRINJ placed their Gesha coffee alongside the most respected names in the industry. Their 20-kilogram washed Gesha lot sold for $256 per kilogram to Philocoffea, a renowned specialty coffee brand and roastery in Chiba and Tokyo, Japan, that is led by Tetsu Kasuya, a former World Brewers Cup Champion. This sale represents a strong commercial success for FRINJ Coffee, and it validates California-grown coffee at the highest international quality tier.
FRINJ Coffee’s vision has always been to grow, process, and sell coffee that meets or exceeds the highest international quality levels. We achieved that at the Dubai Coffee Auction. Looking ahead, we are confident we will continue to reach these high standards with our California-grown coffee.
About FRINJ Coffee: Founded in 2017 in Goleta, California, FRINJ Coffee is a pioneering agricultural venture dedicated to establishing California as a viable, high-quality, coffee-producing region. By partnering with more than 70 local farms, FRINJ provides the expertise, plant materials, and post-harvest processing necessary to produce premium, California-grown coffee. As the first to bring commercial coffee farming to the state and represent the U.S. at international auctions, FRINJ is transforming the coffee industry through local cultivation, sustainability, and innovation.
For more information, visit FRINJ Coffee.
Derek Opperman
FRINJ Coffee
+1 805-685-4189
email us here
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