We had the good fortune of connecting with Jay Ruskey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jay, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When I was a teenager I worked a lot of jobs, one of which was as a laborer in a Carpinteria greenhouse 6 days a week. It was impactful enough to make me want to start my own business. Not just for money, but to build a healthier work environment for products that I can care about. I worked all the way through school and formed my sole proprietorship when I was 25 years old. The next big step was to form FRINJ Coffee. It was a big leap to become a Co-Founder and CEO and to position myself to lead this industry. At the time, it seemed like the obvious next step as I realized that California Coffee was bigger than I could tackle alone. That was a good decision, as today we have helped over 70 farms in Southern California, arming them with a dream team of people to guide them through the entire process. It is a great culture to be a part of.