Sunday, April 5, saw the opening of Exquisite Taste, a wine and spirit shopping area inside the Mandeville branch of Hi-Lo supermarket. Store manger Marie Powell welcomed customers as well as Kingston-based GraceKennedy executives and special guests to the event.

Ryan Mack, general manager for GraceKennedy Foods, said it had been a challenging 2008 but the supermarket chain made money for the group. He hoped it would weather the storm in a tight economy.

"I hope we will all weather the storms this year," he said.

Chairman of the Hi-Lo Foods group, Audrey Hinchcliffe, in her greeting, said the wines and spirits store was just another step in making the supermarket the total shopping experience. She urged customers to "let us know what we don't carry so that we can add it to our range."

Out for the opening were suppliers Kraft, Fishers, H.D. Hopwood, Best Dressed Chicken, Lascelles, Wishbone dressings, Sargento and CPJ among others. There were a wide range of products to sample following the ribbon-cutting to open the store.

Mandeville businessmen Calvin Lyn (left) and Sheffer Birthright inside Exquisite Taste located at Hi-Lo Supermarket in Mandeville, Manchester. - Photos by Barbara Ellington