When you think of coffee production in America, the first place that comes to mind is undoubtedly Hawaii, Kona in particular. But it is not the only state commercially growing coffee. California is home to a few extremely small coffee farms, though few have risen above novelty; even the most avid specialty coffee drinkers are unlikely to have ever tasted any. But that may be changing soon thanks for Frinj Coffee. The Ventura-based farm will be the first continental American producer to take part in an international coffee auction.
Taking place later this month, the Dubai Coffee Auction will feature 21 lots from 17 of the most renowned producers around the world, including big names like Hacienda La Esmeralda, Finca Sofia, Inmaculada, Daterra, Port of Mokha’s Al-Khanshali Estate, and Gesha Village. It will also include for the first time Frinj’s California-grown coffee as well as an anaerobic SL34 from Kona Farm.
The 20kg lot from Frinj—a washed Gesha grown on the Condor Ridge Ranch in the Santa Barbara foothills, the family-owned farm where Frinj CEO Jay Ruskey planted his first coffee trees 23 years ago—is said to be the result of “California’s sun-ripened sweetness alongside the distinctly floral character of Gesha’s Panamanian and Ethiopian lineage.”
“This is a significant moment of recognition that honors the California growers who’ve dedicated themselves to these plants,” Ruskey tells Sprudge. “It validates everyone who believed California could produce world-class coffee when the rest of the industry said it couldn’t be done.”
The online auction will take place in two phases. Open bidding will take place January 18th, with the top three bidders for each lot to move onto the next day for a bidding free for all. The Frinj Gesha will open at $250 per kilo.
It is an exciting development for American coffee production. And while coffee isn’t likely to become a domestic product any time in the near future (or ever), it is a proof of concept that really high quality coffee can be produced outside the traditional coffee belt. And with global warming changing the coffee growing landscape, the more places that can suitably produce coffee, the better.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
