While the majority of Americans start their day with a coffee, far less know how the commodity reaches their cup.

“From a food production standpoint, this is one of the most complicated food items we consume on a daily basis,” said Jay Ruskey, owner of Good Land Organics farm, just north of Santa Barbara, CA.

Despite being continents away from the warm, tropical regions best known for growing coffee, he quietly began growing the specialty crop on his coastal farm.

“There were a lot of naysayers,” said Ruskey. “For the first 15 years, I did not talk about coffee growing; I was not confident in our coffee yet.”