Austin Hills, whose family founded Hills Bros Coffee in the late 19th century, had already submitted nomination papers for the upcoming election when officials intervened, The San Francisco Standard reports.

Anyone who wishes to run for election as San Francisco’s district attorney — effectively the city’s chief prosecutor — must first have been qualified as an attorney in California for at least five years.

Mr Hills, who belongs to the Hills coffee dynasty responsible for the invention of vacuum-packed coffee, previously ran as an independent write-in candidate in the 2016 presidential election.

He describes himself as a libertarian and is a frequent online critic of San Francisco’s mayor.