Heidi Diestel puts care and enthusiasm into every decision of her turkey business, Diestel Family Ranch.

Since taking over the company, Diestel and her brother Jason strive to keep the farm close to its origins as a family-owned turkey grower and processor in Sonora, California. Heidi works on retail, marketing and consumer issues while Jason manages the production.

“We’re farmers by trade,” Diestel said. “That’s the root of our family and the root of our business. For us, raising our turkeys, we take more time and energy in how we bring our turkeys to market. It’s wonderful because we not only raise the turkeys, but we are also the brand and the marketers, which is truly unique in our industry.”

That’s why Diestel Family Ranch’s uncommon story will help them in their new product: Uncured Turkey Bacon. 

The bacon is made from whole-muscle thigh cuts from the turkey. The product is also 100 percent sugar-free and does not contain antibiotics, nitrates, nitrites, gluten or carrageenan.

The turkey bacon can be baked or fried, depending on the consumer’s preference.  

“It was a really big deal to us that it was a butcher-quality experience with our turkey bacon,” Diestel said.

The turkey bacon is being sold in Safeway locations on the West Coast and several other retailers like Natural Grocers and Whole Foods. The company said it is working to add locations in the Eastern part of the US.

The bacon product can be ordered online at the company’s website where it will be shipped anywhere in the country.