For more than two decades, suedafrika-weinversand.de and south-african-wines.com have been Thomas and Steffi's professional home, businesses built on long-term relationships, trust, and a deep love for South Africa.
These are not parallel worlds.
They are two lives that depend on one another.
Together with Maria and Selwyn Koen of the Eagle’s Nest Learning Foundation, the Currys have been building Eagle’s Nest in Grabouw since 2017 as a long-term educational and community project. The aim is not short-term relief, but lasting change, starting with children.
Eagle’s Nest accompanies children from early childhood through to the completion of school, offering academic and emotional support, lived values, and access to areas often neglected in the formal education system, including sport, IT, art, and music. All of this takes place in an environment designed to stand for dignity, stability, and future.
The crèche, with 95 kids, was opened in 2021, in the middle of the Covid pandemic. In January 2026, after only ten months of construction, a new Resource and After School Centre went into operation. 200 children will attend the aftercare programme, with capacity expected to grow further following the final official assessment.
On 23 January, the project and its latest developments were introduced at a small kick-off event to a number of wine producers who work closely with the Currys. Many were surprised to learn that they have been contributing to this development all along, because the vast majority of donations for Eagle’s Nest originate from customers who purchase their wines.
The total infrastructure investment to date amounts to approximately R32 million. These funds have been channelled through Lebenslinien. Apart from a small contribution from the Bavarian State Government, all funding stems from private German donors – people the Currys came to know through their wine businesses over the years.
Beyond education, Eagle’s Nest also supports the wider community. During the winter months, a soup kitchen provides meals to around 400 people. This is complemented by the Magic Muffin Project, which bakes approximately 10,000 vitamin- and moringa-enriched muffins every week for children, adults, and elderly people in need.
While Eagle’s Nest is operated independently by the Eagle’s Nest Learning Foundation, Lebenslinien has financed the entire infrastructure and today contributes around 70 percent of the annual operating budget.
A significant development on the property is the 800 sqm food garden, developed and managed by Urban Harvest founder Ben Getz. Although planted just over a year ago, it is already showing great promise and producing a growing variety of fresh food.
Steffi and Thomas with the magic muffin bakers: Michelle Fisher & Vivian Samuels
For Thomas and Steffi Curry, this is not a fundraising model and not a marketing strategy.
It is a conscious decision to live two connected lives – one in wine, and one in social responsibility, because neither would work without the other.
And because children should never be held responsible for the circumstances they are born into, nor deserve less support than any other child.
Follow Eagle’s Nest Learning Centre on Facebook or Instagram.
For more information, contact Steffi Curry on sc@currywines.de or follow them on Instagram or Facebook
For more pictures of the launch on 27 January, click HERE