Former contestant on The Apprentice Alex Epstein tells us about Messyface – his new healthy spread business venture.
Messyface was born by accident; in early 2019, I was living in Israel, working remotely for BigChange – the business founded by Martin Port. I was travelling constantly between Tel Aviv and Manchester and eventually decided I needed to be closer to home so I could see my dad more often. I wasn’t quite ready to move back to the UK full-time, so went Dutch instead, settling in Utrecht. Utrecht is 30 minutes from Amsterdam but a lot calmer. Think canals, bikes, and lots of gouda cheese!
There was a small Mediterranean deli near my flat where I’d buy fruit and veg. One day I spotted an unassuming jar on the shelf – it was a simple blend of fruit molasses and tahini. I bought it out of curiosity and became obsessed. I spread it on rye bread. On challah. On matza. Sometimes straight off the spoon. It was sweet, rich, and caramel-like, yet made from just fruit and seeds – no refined sugar, palm oil, or strange ingredients. It felt indulgent without being junk. That alone made it stand out when most sweet spreads are basically sugar and palm oil with a bit of flavour added.
Food has always been complicated for me. I grew up on a classic Jewish deli diet: bagels, brisket, and heavy Shabbat dinners with all the trimmings. I was never a slim kid and was teased for it at both primary and secondary school and things only got worse at university and beyond.
My first proper job was with Martin Port at his earlier tech business, Masternaut. I’d often still be in the office with Martin at 10 or 11 at night, fuelled by a heavy takeaway (kosher, of course). By the time I appeared on The Apprentice in 2010, I was properly out of shape. Watching myself on primetime TV was brutal. Someone randomly drew a sketch of ‘overweight me’ and posted it on Twitter (now X) just for fun.
After that, something had to change. I tried everything – Slimming World, calorie counting, and fad diets, long before diet jabs were even a thing. Eventually, I delved more into what our food is really made from, and I started reading labels and cutting out processed food.
Ultra-processed foods are everywhere! Even the parev ice cream I used to demolish on Shabbat only exists because of stabilisers and lab-made ‘edible substances’ that hold it together. Once you know it’s there, it’s not quite so pleasant to eat.
Which brings me back to that jar in Holland. The fruit molasses and tahini fitted perfectly with my new healthier way of eating. I already loved other sesame products like tahini, hummus, and even halva. When I returned to the UK at the end of 2024, something told me that this didn’t belong hidden away in Mediterranean delis, so I decided to bring it to more people.
That’s how Messyface started. Messyface is made from just two ingredients: fruit molasses and sesame tahini. No refined sugar. No dairy. No palm oil. No added fakery of any kind. It tastes indulgent, sweet, and decadent, but it’s simply fruit and seeds.
Messyface contains grape molasses (100% grape) but it doesn’t contain any grape juice or wine, meaning it’s still suitable for most kosher diets.
I called it Messyface because the brand is meant to be fun. Good food should be joyful.
It’s for anyone with a mouth, but it naturally has a fit with my own community, where tahini and halva are everyday staples. Parents love it too, because it gives kids something sweet without loading them up on ultra-processed chocolate spreads.
For now, we’re selling directly through our website and placing Messyface where people actively seek out good, wholesome food. This is just the beginning. Beyond the first spread, there’s plenty more to come. New flavours, new formats, and healthier bakes that don’t compromise on pleasure.
With thanks to Ian Hills from Purple Pilchard PR.
Find out more at Messy-face.com