The Santa Barbara–rooted dream of growing a world-class coffee-farming industry in Southern California may not be over, but it’s certainly facing a financial nightmare right now.
In January, Frinj Coffee — which was founded by Goleta farmer Jay Ruskey in 2017 and enlisted more than 70 farms across the state to grow beans — filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy , claiming about $215,000 in assets while listing more than $1.8 million in liabilities.
Additionally, the company’s former head roaster, Paige Gesualdo, is suing the company as well as Ruskey and two more executives for fraud, breach of contract, and various employment-related claims. “In view of the pending litigation, we don’t have a comment at this time, but direct you to our publicly filed pleadings,” explained her attorney, Andrew Shadoff.