Maine Soft Drinks began when the Harkness family established a soft drinks business, Braid Mineral Water Company in Ballymena in 1919. The founder’s son, John Harkness, decided to branch out on his own in 1949 and formed Maine Soft Drinks. The company is now into its fourth generation and in 2019 celebrated 70 years in business. For many years, the business focused on household deliveries. The delivery van travelled throughout Northern Ireland with the popular Maine Man delivering favourite drinks. The business has now expanded to supplying to supermarkets and contract bottling. Favourite flavours include Raspberryade, Sarsaparilla, Brown Lemonade and Cloudy Lime. Maine Soft Drinks employs more than 100 people and export to various companies in the UK.