'Pop or mineral?' Door-to-door treats thousands of Mancunians can't forget

If you were a kid in Greater Manchester it was the 'pop man' or the 'mineral man' - either way, you loved seeing his wagon coming down your road.

Generations of Mancunians growing up in the '70s, '80s, and '90s remember a now vanished delivery service. A lorry full of rattling bottles of lemonade, cola, cream soda, dandelion and burdock and pineappleade - commonly known as the 'pop man' - would visit your street every week.

'Pop' delivery wagons were common over various parts of Britain - and particularly the north of England in places including Greater Manchester, Liverpool, and the North East. Around Manchester, lorries operated by drinks companies Corona and Alpine were the most common, but others are also fondly remembered, including the 'AA pop man'.

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Former 'pop man' Andrew Barlow told the Manchester Evening News he was one of the last pop delivery men around Manchester in the 1990s. "I lived in Little Hulton and spent a lot of time around pop.

"I started as a van lad during school holidays. Alpine in Little Hulton then made ice-pops, later to turn into making the pop," he said, adding: "I was the last employee as no one wanted to buy the Manchester round. I covered all - at the time - rough areas of Manchester.

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"No day was a big day, the vans had dropped in size and sales was low, but good times. I ended up leaving the delivery and going back in the factory making the pop, it shut down a year or two later."

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