Songbird Fruit joins the conservation chorus
Who says songbird conservation can’t be delicious?
Vince Holinka grills up peaches for his Songbird Fruit stand and awareness and donations for SOS Save Our Songbirds
MADISON – SOS Save Our Songbirds welcomes its newest partner to the conservation chorus. Songbird Fruit is known for its mouthwatering grilled peaches cradled in vanilla ice cream and is coming to a fall festival near you!
The Madison-based food vendor is raising awareness and funds for SOS Save Our Songbirds starting with the Taste of Madison, Saturday, Aug. 31 and Sunday, Sept. 1, in downtown Madison on Capitol Square. It’s booth #514 on Pinckney Street.
Owner/griller Vince Holinka started Songbird Fruit in 2022 as a way to expand his fruit-selling business and honor the birds he loved growing up in La Grange, Wis., while hiking and mountain biking in the Southern Unit Kettle Moraine State Forest.
“Birding and songbirds have always been around in my life,” says Vince Holinka, a Madison resident and owner/griller of Songbird Fruit.
“If you go down to the orchards and groves in Florida, you’ll see songbirds,” Vince says. “Four to five years ago I was visiting down there and it stuck with me there is a relationship between the songbirds and agriculture, so I came up with the name, Songbird Fruit.”
He participated in the Great Wisconsin Birdathon in 2024 that raised $117,846 for priority bird conservation projects in Wisconsin.
The birdathon is like a walk-a-thon, except instead of logging miles, participants log bird species seen during a 24-hour period, and collect pledges for each species seen or for a set amount. The fundraiser is coordinated by the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin and has raised more than $1 million for priority bird conservation projects over its 13 years.
Vince was part of the ‘Yes We Pelican!’ team fielded by Feminist Bird Club - Madison and he looks forward to participating in the birdathon again next year.
Enjoy our Q & A below to learn more about Vince’s avian and epicurean endeavors, and see when and where you can find Songbird Fruit at a festival near you.
Where to find Songbird Fruit
Taste of Madison, Saturday, Aug. 31 and Sunday, Sept. 1, on Capitol Square in Madison. Booth #514, Pinckney Street
Bayview Bash in Milwaukee on Saturday, Sept. 21;
Appleton’s Octoberfest on Saturday, Sept. 28;
Harvest Fair on the Wisconsin State Fairgrounds, Friday-Sunday Sept. 27-29.
SOS: Tell us about Songbird Fruit. What do you sell, how did you get started and what's the story behind the name?
Vince: We are a vendor for fairs, festivals and hope to move into other areas such as catering. We started as a produce company and a fruit vendor. My history is in fruit, peaches specifically. For many years I was involved in bringing fruit from Florida and Georgia to Wisconsin. Songbird Fruits is a way to expand that and get the fruit to people in a different way. We started offering a grilled peach from Georgia. Now we offer fruit from across the United States. All those different places have peaches and they are available at different times during the season. I hired a chef, Dana DeWinter, and gave her an idea of what I was looking for. I knew she could bring it to life.
We season it with our seasoning and everything is as high quality as you can get, the butter, made from scratch streusel and caramel drizzle.
Birding and songbirds have always been around in my life. If you go down to the orchards and groves in Florida, you’ll see songbirds. They are synonymous with the farming culture. Four to five years ago I was visiting down there and it stuck with me there is a relationship between the songbirds and fruits.
SOS: How did you get started bird watching?
Vince: I started as a backyard or casual bird watcher. My family was into birds. We even had a little game if you saw a hawk you’d get a quarter. I think I still owe my mom $9.75. My dad is very into nature. I was about 10 when a fledgling hawk fell out of a tree and I saw him pick it up and put it back in the tree. He did something about it and that stuck with me.
More recently I go out to a site, a park, a state forest and actively look for specific birds. Stricker’s Pond in Middleton is a favorite. It is so close. My favorite place this year was at New Glarus State Forest. It’s a hardwood forest and I was able to see my first scarlet tanager that I was actively looking for. It was really thrilling.
SOS: Why do you want to donate some of your profits to SOS Save Our Songbirds?
Vince: The biggest reason is I strongly believe when we do little things to be aware of, or actively do something to be more at harmony with nature, it can build up and become a bigger thing. The three main actions you promote — I believe all those small things can build on each other and become significant.
SOS: What is your favorite songbird and why?
Vince: That changes. This year I was really thrilled to see the Scarlet Tanager and also the Wood Thrush. It was tough for me to find but I found it in a Middleton park. The song echoed through the forest. A recurring favorite is the Baltimore Oriole. Love the sing-songy up and down and the flash of color.
SOS: What else is important to know about you and Songbird Fruit?
Vince: We are really happy to be a part of and based out of Madison. There are a lot of people and groups that fit in with the ideology. We’re very careful with our footprint, we’re looking to bring something a little different to the fairs and festivals and offer a platform to raise awareness of the gift of just bird song. We don’t want to take it for granted.