🇩🇰 Du finder den danske version af denne artikel her.

A healthy and varied diet is something we all strive for — but with the pace of everyday life, it can be hard to keep up. That’s why Danish brand aioss has developed a simple supplement solution that makes it both easy and enjoyable to get many of the nutrients your body needs.

Behind aioss are Jesper Wahlberg and Theodor Barington — two entrepreneurs with very different backgrounds, but a shared passion for health and lifestyle. Jesper, 52, spent nearly 30 years in North America, building a marketing agency in Toronto and a subscription business in California. Theodor, 30, began his career as a management consultant, including a stint in New York, followed by several years in the biotech industry. He’s driven by a deep personal interest in health — both his own and the broader public’s.

The journey with aioss began when Jesper and Theodor met and found themselves asking the same question: “Why has it become so hard to live healthily — and why does it so often feel like a chore?” That conversation led them to create aioss: a blend of vitamins, minerals, fiber, herbs, plant extracts, and probiotics, all in one product. Just mix it with water, drink, and enjoy. In short, it’s a rebellion against the frustration and dull experience many associate with supplements.

As they put it, it’s no miracle cure — but it’s a delightful and effortless way to check one important box on the nutrition front.

In this conversation, Jesper and Theodor share the story behind aioss, how they came together, and what drives their mission.

Co-founders of aioss: Jesper Wahlberg & Theodor Barington.

How did the idea for aioss come about?

“The idea for aioss came to me when I realized just how much my life had changed — going from Northern California to Copenhagen. When you’ve lived somewhere with 325 days of sunshine a year, a winter in Copenhagen can feel very long. My nutrition had also changed significantly — from a North American, always-on-the-go kind of diet to a somewhat healthier and more varied Danish one. On top of that, I moved in an entirely different way — I swapped the car for a bike and started walking everywhere. That’s when it really hit me: so much about my lifestyle, diet, and surroundings had changed — and I could feel it in my body, both for better and for worse.

I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mindset, and when I moved back to Copenhagen, I didn’t have a job or colleagues waiting for me. I did have some family and a handful of wonderful old friends — but naturally, they all had their own lives. So I found myself standing there, asking: What now?

I’ve always felt that health is hard. And I found myself missing a supplement solution that was easy to understand, easy to use, and actually enjoyable — something that made sense for my new life in Copenhagen.”

How did you two meet?

Jesper:
“At the time, I was having a ton of coffee meetings with all kinds of people — many of them found by ‘crawling’ LinkedIn. I was very clear that I wanted a co-founder with a background in nutrition and health. It was actually an old friend from San Francisco — now working with Theo at a biotech startup — who introduced us.

We met for a quick coffee at Bottega Barlié in Copenhagen, but ended up talking for three hours. We both felt the concept had real potential, and that this could be the start of a meaningful journey — and a great business. So we kind of ‘dated’ for a bit to see if we worked well together, but from there, things moved pretty quickly.”

Theodor, do you remember what your first thoughts were?

Theodor:
“I’ve always had an entrepreneur inside me. A lot of the steps I’ve taken over the past ten years have felt like part of preparing myself to one day start something of my own. I’ve always had plenty of ideas — I just wish I’d been ready a bit earlier. But now the timing was right. I love physical products and the experience around them, and I’m a bit of a health nerd, so it all felt very natural.

I grew up with a mom who was all about wellness, and I’ve been interested in nutrition and physiology for over 20 years — so what would become aioss was already close to my heart. But I probably needed someone like Jesper to give me that final push.”

Who is aioss made for?

Jesper:
“Most people will notice a difference when they start their day with aioss. But of course, if you already live super healthy and eat a well-balanced, varied diet, a supplement won’t have the same effect as it would for someone who doesn’t exactly tick all the boxes when it comes to nutrition.”

Theodor:
“Exactly. In short, there’s no magic in our product — and that’s the point. We’ve worked closely with top nutrition experts to design something that fits the Scandinavian lifestyle, combining the best and most relevant vitamins, minerals, fiber, phytonutrients, and probiotics.

Over 90% of Danes don’t reach the daily recommended intake of fruits and vegetables, and that’s obviously one of the main challenges we’re addressing. We know it’s hard to eat perfectly every single day — and we’re here to help just a little, without it feeling like a chore or a compromise.”

Where do you stand as a company now, and what are your ambitions?

Jesper:
“We’re of course well aware that there are similar products, especially from the U.S., but we’re actually happy about that. We’ve focused on developing aioss specifically for Scandinavians, ensuring the highest quality, while still managing to price it significantly more affordably, so that as many people as possible can ‘join in’ and be inspired to make good, healthy choices in their daily lives. We also find that many people appreciate that our production is based here in Scandinavia.

With the positive daily user experience, we’ve also been very conscious from the start of developing aioss as a lifestyle brand. Health is often considered complicated and difficult, by many people, including myself. So, our goal was not just to make using aioss easy and enjoyable, but also to create a lifestyle brand that our users identify with and enjoy using every day.

For example, our aioss bottle is very easy to recognize and has already become somewhat of an icon for our brand. We love hearing from our users when they write to us and tell us their aioss bottle was stolen at a sauna session, and how they’re getting a new one. Externally, in our communication, we probably come across mainly as a lifestyle brand, but internally, we’re extremely focused on the product and creating the best possible user experience.

It’s only now that we’re starting to ramp up our marketing. We’ve been careful to get everything in place first, so we’ve almost entirely grown organically through recommendations and trust. We feel we’re in a really good place now, and there’s so much more to build on. We look to successful and attractive brands and keep an eye on many of the brands you cover here on dontt.dk.”

Theodor:
“As a company, we’ve also invested in hiring skilled people who can support the things Jesper mentioned. We’re constantly testing and developing the product. Even though we say the product is finished, and it has proven its relevance in the market, we’re still keeping an eye out for the smallest details. It’s extremely nerdy and takes time. In addition, we have plans to expand into Scandinavia and Northern Europe. We dream of reaching 100,000 subscribers within a reasonable timeframe.”

We look forward to following Theodor, Jesper, and the rest of the aioss team on dontt.dk

Get dontt.dk’s newsletter for free: You can receive our weekly update for free on culture, branding, entrepreneurship & inspiration, with a focus on Copenhagen.