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Maine Soft Drinks is now run by Derrick Harkness, who is the fourth generation of his family at the helm. Before that, they have established Braid Mineral Water Co. You can say that lemonade is the blood in the blood, even though it is not Probably popular advertising slogan.

Maine did not use slogans, gimmicks or cheap tricks. Instead, it insisted on traditional methods, including home delivery of glass bottles. This strategy has withstood the test of time, and many people around it had to reinvent themselves.

Derek said: "I think it has something to do with the glass bottle.

"If all this is done in a plastic bottle, it won't work. You can only buy it in the supermarket.

"People feel that they are doing a good thing for the environment, recyclable bottles. They also do this because there is a myth that we believe this is true, and that lemonade tastes better when drinking it in a glass bottle.

"The glass bottle stays fresh and keeps air bubbles. A two-liter large plastic bottle does not have the same effect.

"It might be impractical to put a lot of glass on Tesco's shelves, so this is what keeps us unique."

His Maine team of men is responsible for driving trucks and delivering bottles to the door. He said: "We may have about 40 or so.

"Due to the blockade, there are some cuts. We cut some delivery areas, but we can still deliver anywhere in Northern Ireland. Donegal has some deliveries and Dublin has some."

He added: “You may think that anyone can provide lemonade, but this is not just selling lemonade-you are dealing with the public, you need to be likable, you need to respect people’s property, you need to be reliable, you You need to be eloquent, you need to be talkative, and you need to be careful on the road, because you are an advertisement driving in residential areas and public places.

“One of them has been talking about all the time he was in the client’s house, maybe installing a cooker for a woman whose electrician let her down, some families locked themselves out, he opened their house for them, and he started People’s cars, he moved people’s sofas. When you go out, what you end up doing is crazy.

"Everyone has interesting stories about what happened during delivery, whether it's looking for a lost dog at the manor or just selling lemonade.

"Over the years, we have had some great Maineers who will feel sad for disappointing customers. They will go out in all kinds of weather.

"We still have Maine men like this, I say men, we also have women working for us, but it is always called a miner, lemonade man or Maine man."

The Harkness family founded a soft drink company called Braid Mineral Water Co. in Ballymena in 1919.

The founder's son, John Harkness, decided in 1949 to operate independently and establish a Maine Soft Drink Company.

In 1959, the company moved to its current office location in Ballymoney.

While maintaining the famous door-to-door service, the company has also expanded and branched in different ways, including supplying supermarkets and contract bottling.

They also export to companies in the UK mainland.

Maine Soft Drinks has more than 100 employees, half of whom work in Ballymoney and the other half in warehouses in Lurgan, Belfast, and Londonderry near the province.

Although Maine is mainly known for its delivery services, they have been supplying products under the Vitazade and Smak brands for many years.

Maine was founded by Braid Soft Drinks, which is related to the Norbev manufacturing company in Ballymena.

Derek is from Ballymoni, but now lives in Portstewart. He recalls his days as a junior man in Maine: "I can go back to hanging out with my father when I was six or seven.

"It may not be completely legal now, but I could have been a helper.

"In Northern Ireland, there are not many streets where I don't have a lemonade truck, and I haven't knocked on the door to talk to customers."

Derek, who has just turned 50, said: "I have been in this business for probably 35 years. Driving is just a small part of what I do at the company. I will look after different warehouses.

"I will encourage our different Maineians.

"It has to do with sales. If we go to an area, maybe if there are only five customers on a street, we might knock on the remaining doors, and then find five more customers to double the output. This is to encourage us men to find new customers. ."

Derek added: "During the lockdown, the online business development of our business was very good.

"It kills the conversation, face to face, some people like that.

"Nevertheless, personal style is still sought after by many people.

"Some customers, men in Maine will open the door and walk in directly. They keep calling. They are very popular."

Derek said there are some very loyal customers in Maine who have been buying the same drinks for generations.

He commented: "People like to re-evoke their memories, maybe it's what their grandmother got when they visited on Saturday morning.

"It can evoke memories, usually good memories, good feelings. We want to keep it that way.

"We didn't pretend to be fully health conscious, that's the truth. It's funny lemonade, it's a treat.

“People don’t have to eat it at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Doing this in moderation will not harm them. Drinking 30 bottles a week is not advisable.”

He continued: "Our customers have been buying for generations. From the beginning, their families have been raised. They may buy five bottles a week, and they will still buy other drinks in other stores. They don't. Will get every soft drink from us.

"Empty bottles are excluded. In the next week, our people will change to their favorite flavor, whether it is shepherd's purse, cloudy lime or cream soda. Some people have drunk two cups of brown lemonade and two cups of cream in their lifetime. Soda water. They just keep these flavors."

He said that pineapple and raspberry are the two most popular flavors.

Derek added: "Many towns in Northern Ireland had their own soft drink companies a few years ago. Larne has Inver Springs, Newry has Clan Rye, all named after rivers. Lurgan will have Classic and Great Northern and Red Lorry. There will always be Some battles. I believe there was a lot of competition in the 60s and 70s.

"There are about 30 companies in Belfast. C&C (Cantrell and Cochrane) is the world's largest company in the Titanic era."

Historians generally believe that Dr. Cantrell was the first inventor of ginger ale.

Derek said: "We are really the only ones left. Many of them merged. Ross is also a big company and we took over their business. We still have some people working for us, and they started with Ross. Yes. If it is in your family, it will be passed down."

Derek said that the soft drink company is hiring new employees, and people from an agricultural background may be very suitable for this job.

He said: "The right person can do it well, and the wrong person may fail.

"Good people stay for a long time. Some of us have been working for 30 years.

"When it rains or snows, it’s a tough job, but when the sun is shining or the weather is clear, it’s a beautiful job. It’s interesting because you are selling people a beautiful and interesting product ——This is not bad news.

"I often think that some suitable people will come from outsiders who live a farming lifestyle and work hard. We are willing to accept part-time jobs, maybe two days a week, or people who need to do extra work outside the farm.

"We are always looking for people. It's an open-ended thing. I'm looking for new faces in Belfast and our Lurgan/Craigavon ​​department, but if the right person appears in our Ballymoney or Omagh area, I'm happy to work with you They talk."

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