Clarissa Viljoen grew up in Mpumalanga and moved to Strand, Cape Town as a teenager. She graduated from Strand High School and, after taking a gap year, studied tourism management at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT).
After completing her internship at Welbedacht in Wellington, she travelled the world, working as a flight attendant at Qatar Airways for two and a half years.
In 2021 she started working as the tasting room manager and marketing assistant at DeMorgenzon and in November 2022 she was appointed as the marketing coordinator at Boekenhoutskloof.
In 2024, Clarissa made WineLand Media's 30 Under 30 list – a list of 30 young professionals recognised for their contributions to the South African wine industry.