Polaris was the first bottled drinking water brand in Thailand. It was originally produced by North Star Co., Ltd., founded in 1956 by American expatriate Maxine North and deputy foreign minister Rak Panyarachun. The company grew rapidly in the 1960s when the United States stationed large numbers of diplomatic and military personnel in Thailand during the Vietnam War, and expanded to become one of the largest drinking water bottlers in Asia. It dominated the market so much that the Polaris name became a genericized trademark for bottled water in Thailand. However, it encountered internal difficulties and increased competition in the 1990s, and the company, which had been listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand in 1994, was declared bankrupt and liquidated in 2003.