From the more than 300 Sheetz stores across six states, Gettysburg Sheetz, located at 30 Camp Letterman Road, was named Sheetz 2004 Store of the Year. The coveted title recognizes the Sheetz store that best meets the high standards for excellence set by one of the nation’s fastest growing, family-owned convenience store chains.

Louisville, Kentucky-based Blendex Co., and leading food processor d.b.a. Blendex Custom Blending, have received one of the Greater Louisville Inc.’s Manufacturing Awards of Excellence; the KMAC Quality Award.  In addition, both are the recipients of Louisville Business First’s “Fast Fifty” award for the second year in a row. The award acknowledges Blendex for being in the top 50 fastest growing, privately held companies in Greater Louisville.

New York-based International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. announced plans for the construction of a new specialty ingredients (aroma chemical) manufacturing plant in China. A groundbreaking ceremony for the $29 million plant was held on November 9. The new plant is expected to open in late 2006 and reach fully optimized operation in 2008.Within the flavor and fragrance industry, IFF currently has the largest number of ingredient manufacturing locations in the world. The new plant will be located on a 41.7-acre site within the Hangzhou Economic and Technological Development Area (HEDA), a Chinese national level development area.

In an expansion of their Snack Ventures Europe, PepsiCo and General Mills acquired Star Foods, a snack producer and distributor in Romania. Financial details weren’t disclosed. Star Foods has one plant in Bucharest and produces Star Chips potato chips, Mr. Snacki corn snacks and Krax corn and potato snacks. Snacks Ventures Europe is a joint venture of PepsiCo and General Mills in continental Europe.

According to reports out of Mexico City, Bimbo hopes to turn around its U.S. operations by adding new technology to improve distribution. The cost-cutting, information and distribution system tracks how much the company is selling in each market and allows it to adjust its product mix to eliminate slow-moving products. Currently, according to the report, Bimbo cannot track how much it’s selling of different products. The system has been operating in Mexico with good results, the report said.

Conservative Democratic Sen. Zell Miller, who spoke at the Republican National Convention, will address the American Bakers Association’s political action committee dinner at its annual convention, which runs from March 20-23 at The Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, Fla. Additionally during the meeting’s general session, the chairpersons of ABA’s various committees will participate in a roundtable discussion covering a wide variety of critical issues.