Cornelia Øiestad

Cornelia Øiestad was a chef and an expert in useful and wild plants (nyttevekstkyndig), with a background in the restaurant industry. Her work centred on foraging and on fermentation with plants. In 2016, in her home kitchen, she conducted the first experiments with a fermented drink based on Norwegian raw materials and wild plants, using ingredients she had gathered and dried herself, including material from the forest. Two years of research and experimentation followed before Villbrygg was established as a Norwegian producer of non-alcoholic botanical drinks based on Nordic wild plants, berries, fruits and herbs.^[1]

Øiestad died in September 2025.^[1]

Øiestad co-founded Villbrygg in 2018 together with Vanessa Krogh, who serves as CEO. Both founders came from various positions in the restaurant industry, and it was through that work that they identified a need for non-alcoholic alternatives able to compete with the complex flavours of alcoholic drinks. The company was established in Oslo with the aim of creating a new beverage category built on organic ingredients and wild-growing plants from Norwegian nature.