ThriveHere@Auburn, a coffee roastery and cafe, is the latest addition to Auburn University's Rane Culinary Science Center.(Photo courtesy of Caravan Marketing; used with permission)

The latest addition to Auburn University’s new, $110-million Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center is now open for coffee, tea and pastries.

Atlanta-based Thrive Farmers opened its newest coffee roastery and café, ThriveHere@Auburn, this week in the Rane Center, as well as a second coffee shop in the The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center next door.

The new home of AU’s School of Hospitality Management, the Rane Center opened for students and guests in August, and Auburn University will formally dedicate the building with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and self-guided tours this Thursday, Sept. 15.

In addition to culinary labs, an exhibition kitchen and interactive classrooms, the six-story, 155,000-square-foot complex includes a fine-dining teaching restaurant with a two-story wine room, a luxury hotel and spa, a rooftop garden and lounge, a food hall, the coffee roastery, and coming next spring, a craft brewery and a micro-distillery.

RELATED: The story behind Auburn’s new, world-class Rane Culinary Science Center

At the coffee roastery, AU hospitality students will work with Alex Brown, ThriveHere@Auburn’s director of coffee, to learn about the farming and sourcing of coffee, the roasting process and about becoming a barista.

“ThriveHere@Auburn is a one-of-a-kind experience for students looking to start a career in the hospitality industry, especially in coffee and tea,” Tom Matthesen, the president of Thrive Farmers, said in a media release. “In the world of hospitality, coffee usually begins and ends the day, and the (Rane Center) will now put a special focus on the importance of coffee and tea as part of an excellent hospitality program.’’

In addition to coffee and tea, the coffee shop serves freshly baked croissants, cookies, muffins and tarts.

The Rane Center, which has been over a decade in the planning, affords AU hospitality students the opportunity to get hands-on experience while they work alongside industry professionals -- not only in the ThriveHere@Auburn coffee roastery but also in the center’s fine-dining restaurant, 1856, and in its luxury hotel, The Laurel Hotel & Spa.

The Rooftop Terrace, which includes a flower and vegetable garden and a cocktail lounge and offers guests an eagle’s-eye view of the AU campus, also opened this week.

RELATED: Auburn introduces chef-in-residence and master sommelier for 1856 restaurant

Ithaka Hospitality Partners manages the day-to-day operations at the Rane Center, including the restaurant, the hotel, the coffee shop, and the adjoining Hey Day Market food hall.

“Farm to table takes on a whole new meaning with this partnership between Ithaka Hospitality Partners, Auburn University and Thrive Farmers,” Kenneth Lander, co-founder and chief sustainability officer for Thrive Farmers, said in a statement to AL.com.

“This partnership places a new focus on the importance of excellence in the service of coffee and tea to the customers we serve, while at the same time impacting the farmers that grow these exceptional products.’’

Founded in 2011, Thrive Farmers teams with coffee farmers in Central America, South America and Africa in a farmer-direct revenue-sharing partnership that enables those farmers to have a bigger stake in the business and earn a sustainable income, according to the company.

“We are thrilled to welcome Thrive Farmers into the new Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center and to be our coffee and tea partner for the School of Hospitality Management,” Hans van der Reijden, founder of Ithaka Hospitality Partners, said in the media release.

“The (Rane Center) has been a dream for more than a decade, and it has been an honor to work alongside great partners like Thrive Farmers as we make this dream a reality.”

The ThriveHere@Auburn coffee roastery and café is at the front entrance of the Rane Culinary Science Center, which is located at the corner of South College Street and Thach Avenue.

Hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. For more information, go here.

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