Can Coffee Grow in California? Inside America’s Newest Coffee Farms
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Ask most coffee drinkers where coffee grows in the United States and they will say Hawaii, maybe Puerto Rico. But can coffee grow in California? It can, and it does. Since the early 2000s, a small group of Southern California farmers has been growing Arabica coffee on hillsides near Santa Barbara and in San Diego County, often planted in the shade of avocado trees. The crop is tiny and the beans are among the most expensive in the world, but the experiment has grown into a real, if niche, industry.
Here is how it started, why it works so far north of the usual coffee belt, and what you get for the price.
Key takeaways
- California coffee began as trials in the early 2000s led by University of California Cooperative Extension farm advisor Mark Gaskell and Santa Barbara farmer Jay Ruskey.
- Most farms are in Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Diego counties, and many interplant coffee with avocados.
- The fruit ripens slowly, taking 10 to 12 months on the tree according to California Grown.
- High land and labor costs and tiny harvests make California beans very expensive.
In this article
- Can coffee grow in California? Why it works
- How California coffee started
- How it is farmed
- Price and taste
- California vs other US coffee
- FAQ
Can coffee grow in California? Why it works
Commercial coffee traditionally grows in the “bean belt” between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Southern California sits north of that line, which is why many people assumed coffee could not grow there. Jay Ruskey has called that a misconception.
Coffee is a subtropical shrub that dislikes frost and extreme heat. Some coastal valleys and hillsides of Southern California offer mild winters, warm summers and good air drainage, which keeps frost away from the plants. What California lacks is reliable rain, so farms rely on precision irrigation rather than seasonal rainfall. The cool nights and mild days slow the fruit’s development, and California Grown reports that the cherries take 10 to 12 months to mature. Slow ripening is often associated with sweeter, denser beans, a pattern familiar from high-altitude farms in the tropics.
How California coffee started
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Early 2000s | Mark Gaskell, a University of California Cooperative Extension farm advisor who had worked in Central American coffee regions, notices coffee growing in California gardens and sets up trials. Farmer Jay Ruskey, of Good Land Organics near Goleta, starts growing coffee in 2002 with plants from Costa Rican seed. |
| Mid 2010s | More growers, many of them avocado farmers, add coffee trees under their orchards. |
| 2017 | Ruskey co-founds FRINJ Coffee, a company that supplies plants, processes harvests and sells the coffee. The name refers to California farming on the “fringe” of the coffee world. |
| 2018 | NPR reports that a single harvest of about 250 pounds was bought entirely by Blue Bottle Coffee, at about $60 per pound. |
| 2022 | California Grown reports that FRINJ works with more than 70 farmers and that over 100,000 coffee plants have been planted in the state. |
How it is farmed
Coffee under avocados
Many California coffee farms are also avocado farms. Coffee is planted between or beneath the avocado trees, which provide partial shade and wind protection. Growers interviewed by NPR noted that the two crops have similar fertilizer and irrigation needs, so they can share inputs. One Temecula avocado grower planted 1,000 coffee trees under his canopy. Some farms add other subtropical fruit such as passion fruit, dragon fruit and finger limes in a layered system.
A slow start
Coffee is a patient crop. California Grown notes that plants take about four years to mature and two more years to produce a viable crop. That delay is a big commitment for a farmer and one reason the industry has grown slowly.
Varieties
California growers have experimented with many Arabica varieties. Among those sold under the FRINJ name are Geisha, the variety famous from Panama, and a Bourbon and Pacas lot from Good Land Organics described with brown sugar, cocoa and tropical fruit notes. Our article on coffee varieties explains what those names mean.
Price and taste
California coffee is expensive by any standard. In 2018, NPR compared the roughly $60 per pound paid for California beans with about $20 for Hawaiian beans and $5 or less for many Ethiopian imports. A cup sold for $18 at the time. In 2022, California Grown listed a 5-ounce bag from Good Land Organics at $50.
Why so much? Land and labor in Southern California cost far more than in most producing countries, harvests are small, and demand from curious buyers is high. NPR quoted Gaskell saying it would be a very long time before supply could meet demand.
Taste notes published for California lots range from berry, apricot and jasmine for Geisha to brown sugar, cocoa and tropical fruit for Bourbon and Pacas. Like any origin, quality depends on the farm, variety and processing more than on the state name on the bag.
California vs other US coffee
| Region | Status | What makes it different |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii (Kona and other islands) | Established commercial industry | Volcanic slopes, long history; see our Kona coffee guide |
| Puerto Rico | US territory with a long coffee history | Mountain farms; read about Puerto Rico coffee |
| California | Young, small, growing | Grown outside the tropics, irrigated, often under avocados |
Taste the influences at home
You do not need an $18 cup to explore the coffees behind California’s experiment. Ruskey’s first plants came from Costa Rican seed, and our Costa Rica Alajuela, grown by micro farms in volcanic soil, has sweet apple, raisin and honey notes. For the shade-grown, mountain-farm style common in Central America, try Guatemala Antigua with dark chocolate, fruit and butterscotch, or Mexico from Chiapas and Oaxaca with chocolate, cinnamon and green apple. All are roasted 1 to 5 days before delivery.
California coffee FAQ
Where is coffee grown in California?
Mainly in Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Diego counties, on coastal hillsides with mild winters.
Is California coffee better than Kona?
Not automatically. Both can be excellent, and both are expensive. California coffee is rarer and younger as an industry.
Why is California coffee so expensive?
High land and labor costs, small harvests, a long wait before trees produce and strong demand.
Can I grow coffee at home in California?
In frost-free areas, coffee can grow outdoors as a shrub; elsewhere it does well as a houseplant. See how to grow a coffee plant at home.
Sources
- Helmer J., Eureka! California-grown coffee is becoming the state’s next gold mine, NPR via WFAE, 2018.
- Needham A., Coffee from California, California Grown, 2022.
Facts checked in October 2026.
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