Jay Ruskey farms coffee plants that he breeds for the California climate and soil conditions.

Of all the crops California is known for, premium coffee has not been on that list. The perennial plant that commonly grows high in the mountains between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn appears to be doing well in limited locations that favor avocados in the Golden State.

Jay Ruskey farms coffee plants that he breeds for the California climate and soil conditions. It is not easy, he suggests. Arabica coffee contains 44 chromosomes, while most plants contain just 11 chromosomes.