Mixing personal focus and family pride has proved the right combination for Java Earth.

With an enduring tradition of making its customers feel like family, Java Earth, a Pacific Beach staple for 14 years, is quickly becoming La Jolla’s stop for a welcome atmosphere before a day at the beach.

The 1030 Torrey Pines Rd. location, opened two years ago, features family recipes curated by Debbie Artenstein, who owns and runs Java Earth with her husband, Abe, and children Alex and Andrea Artenstein.

From homemade sauces and pestos to from-scratch dishes for breakfast and lunch, plus an extensive coffee drink menu, Java Earth is “a coffee shop with really, really good food,” Andrea said.

Infusing the Artensteins’ food-focused philosophies into every recipe, Debbie incorporates longstanding family traditions (like Java Earth’s renowned coconut squares, from Debbie’s grandmother’s recipe) with modern flavors.

The Artenteins, themselves longtime La Jolla residents (Alex, Andrea and their two other siblings all graduated from La Jolla High School), pride themselves on this family emphasis: “We know everyone’s dog’s name and their new baby,” Andrea said. “It’s [our] whole life.”

Debbie, who’s always had a love for cooking and hosting, “wants you to feel like you’re home at Java,” Andrea said. “It’s her way of treating people and the community.”

Debbie is “ the creative visionary behind the menu,” Andrea said, with Abe, Andrea and Alex helping behind the counter and behind the scenes – though some have more face time with the customers than others.

“We’ve all been coffee-obsessed, always,” Andrea said, “but that espresso machine is Alex’s baby. He loves opening the shop and having his own Zen moment where he checks everything.”

The family-run Java Earth has evolved since its Pacific Beach beginnings. 

“We’re always changing,” Andrea said. “We’re always pushing ourselves to improve, to meet the needs of our community, to learn … what each community likes and become a part of them.”

Current Java Earth menu favorites? The honey vanilla latte. “People are obsessed with it,” Andrea said. “ Once you try, you can’t get away from it.”

Other popular drinks include the matcha items: “We love them; we use very high quality matcha and put a lot of care into each one that we make,” she said.

From the food menu, the SoCal burrito has been Java Earth’s number one seller for years and the breakfast tacos are increasingly in demand at the La Jolla location, along with the tuna salad.

Those stopping in to Java Earth before a picnic at Scripps Park or a day on the sand won’t go wrong with a couple sandwiches and coconut squares, Andrea recommended. “It’s what my family would do, too.”

“Our family lives and breathes Java,” she said. “We’re so proud of it, and we are proud of serving the community.”