Latest news with #CaliforniaBurrito
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
This 35-year-old left the US for India to start a ‘Cali-style' burritos business — now it brings in $23M/year
Introducing burritos to the land of biryani is a genuinely unconventional business idea. Yet, this experiment has turned into a massive success for 35-year-old American entrepreneur Bert Mueller. In a recent interview with CNBC Make It, the young entrepreneur described how he discovered that Mexican cuisine was a perfect match for the Indian palate, which convinced him to launch California Burrito, a fast-casual Southern California-style restaurant, in 2012. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) The company now has 103 locations across the country and generates $23 million in annual revenue. California Burrito's rise holds three powerful lessons every entrepreneur and investor should take notes on. Here's the secret sauce. Mueller told CNBC that he first visited India as a foreign student. In 2021, just 46,000 international students were enrolled in Indian colleges, according to the British Council, making it one of the less obvious choices for studying abroad. But for Mueller, that was part of the appeal. 'I wanted to go somewhere that was radically different than the U.S. and so I decided that India was the place to be given that, first off, I loved Indian food and second, people spoke English,' he told CNBC, calling the decision 'contrarian.' This contrarian mindset has helped many investors and entrepreneurs uncover hidden gems and rare opportunities in unlikely places. By keeping an open mind and considering unconventional options, you could boost your chances of finding a lucrative niche that few others have considered. Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says — and that 'anyone' can do it Another secret to Mueller's success is his cautious approach to building a business. He told CNBC that his initial estimate for startup costs was $100,000, but he raised nearly $250,000 from friends and family 'to be careful.' These additional funds gave him and his team much-needed flexibility to launch California Burritos and mitigate the risks of introducing an unproven concept to a new market. This approach mirrors Warren Buffett's investing principle of working with a 'margin of safety.' No one can predict the future with precision, so by raising more funds than you need or investing at a lower valuation than you think is fair could be the best way to mitigate unforeseen risks. Mueller admitted that his journey had its fair share of setbacks. He told CNBC that the first area manager he hired turned out to be corrupt and was colluding with vendors for kickbacks. The betrayal could have derailed the entire venture while it was still in its infancy, but Mueller says giving up wasn't an option. 'My mom is a marathon runner, and I have that trait in me,' he said. 'You have to keep going until you've reached the finish line. And I never felt like quitting.' According to psychologist Angela Duckworth, this ability to deal with failure and persevere is a key trait of high achievers in various fields. Her research indicates that grit — the ability to persevere despite challenges — is a greater predictor of success than social intelligence, IQ or even talent. Similarly, a study published in the Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research found that undergraduate students with higher levels of grit had greater intentions of launching their own business after graduation. Just like Mueller, if you're considering a new venture or a new opportunity, the ability to deal with setbacks and keep pushing forward despite adversity is a key skill you'll need to develop. Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead How much cash do you plan to keep on hand after you retire? Here are 3 of the biggest reasons you'll need a substantial stash of savings in retirement Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? Like what you read? Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise straight to your inbox every week. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. Sign in to access your portfolio
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
From college curiosity to culinary empire: The rise of California Burrito in India
Bert Mueller, founder of California Burrito In 2010, Bert Mueller arrived in India with a suitcase, a curious palate, and absolutely no idea that his life was about to change forever. Mueller credits his decision to study abroad in India to his 'contrarian' nature. 'I wanted to go somewhere that was radically different than the US and so I decided that India was the place to be given that, first off, I loved Indian food and second, people spoke English,' he said. Back then, he was just a college kid studying abroad, a music and public policy major from The College of William & Mary. He brought snacks from home to share with his Jaipur host family, hoping to bond over flavors from the US, Mueller told CNBC. 'They didn't like it very much,' Mueller recalled with a laugh. But one of his classmates of Mexican heritage had the exact opposite experience. He brought homemade Mexican food, chips, salsa, beans, and tortillas , which was a hit in the Indian family. 'Something clicked in my head that maybe this was something I could do, I could bring Mexican-inspired cuisine to India,' he added. After completing his degree in 2011, he returned to India at age 22 with a bold plan to introduce Southern California-style burritos to a country that had little exposure to Mexican cuisine. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Complete protection with iPru All-in-one Term Plan ICICI Pru Life Insurance Plan Get Quote Undo He began California Burrito with two of his childhood friends who have since left the company and returned to the USA. The group of three picked Bangalore as the first location for their restaurant, a tech hub he chose for its globally-minded residents, many of whom had traveled abroad and tasted Mexican or Tex-Mex food. Muller raised $250,000 with the help of friends and family. That first store earned about $500,000 in its first year, and the original investment was enough to launch two more outlets. Since then, California Burrito has expanded to major Indian cities including Chennai, Hyderabad, and Delhi, and the company brought in $23 million in revenue in 2024. Betrayal behind the counter The journey wasn't without setbacks. 'The biggest challenge was that the person we had hired at the beginning to run our entire operation and help us out was a very crooked individual,' he shared. Early on, Mueller hired a local manager who turned out to be sabotaging the business — colluding with suppliers to overcharge, tipping off inspectors, and eventually trying to start his own rival burrito restaurant. Despite the betrayal, Mueller persevered. 'My mom is a marathon runner, and I have that trait in me,' he said. 'You have to keep going until you've reached the finish line. And I never felt like quitting.' Mueller initially planned to stay in India for just five years, but after that period, he realized it would be more beneficial for his business if the company started growing its own ingredients. Building more than a brand Today, California Burrito sources chicken from five different suppliers and has planted 500 avocado trees. Unfortunately, some of these trees were trampled by elephants. The company also attempted to grow tomatillos in Karnataka, but a massive rainstorm destroyed the entire crop. This focus on farming made Mueller begin to think long-term, shifting his perspective to building the business for decades. Twelve years after opening his first outlet, Mueller has no intention of leaving India. His journey with California Burrito is a testament to how a simple idea born from cultural exchange can blossom into a successful business on foreign soil. His story reflects both India's evolving taste for global cuisines and its welcoming landscape for bold, entrepreneurial ventures.
Hindustan Times
05-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
‘The new American dream': Meet the US expat who built a $23M food business in India
At the age of 22, Bert Mueller left the United States and moved to India with two friends, a chef, and a dream. Today, he's the millionaire behind the super-successful restaurant chain California Burrito, widely credited with popularising Mexican cuisine in India. For Mueller, the journey started during a study programme in college for which he visited India. According to CNBC Make It, a fellow student in the study programme brought Mexican food for her host family and they absolutely loved it. When Mueller saw how much the Indian family had enjoyed Mexican cuisine, the idea of bringing it to India was planted. 'Something clicked in my head that maybe this was something I could do — I could bring Mexican-inspired cuisine to India,' Mueller told CNBC Make It. When he told friends and family back in the US about his idea, they were surprised - to put it politely. According to Forbes, many asked Mueller if he had gone crazy, and one friend curtly told him, 'Wake up. It's not Alice in Wonderland.' But Bert Mueller was dead set on his idea. In 2012, he moved to Bengaluru and opened the first California Burrito outlet. He was only 22. Today, the restaurant chain has more than 100 outlets across India and earned $23 million in revenue last year, CNBC reported. But the journey has not been without its setbacks and regrets. The pandemic brought huge losses to the business, and 19 of its 37 stores were closed. In 2021, however, California Burrito resumed its march to success. Mueller also regrets not investing in marketing during the initial years. 'Marketing was something we totally underinvested in and really didn't start spending on until Covid,' Mueller told CNBC Make It. 'I wish we had done this earlier — done marketing earlier,' he added. When California Burrito opened its 100th store in India recently, it hired influencers to promote a deal that brought in millions of customers - the Mexican food chain priced everything on its menu for ₹100. 'We wound up with these incredible lines out of the stores because too many people had showed up,' said the founder. 'I see my journey as a new American dream,' he told Forbes.
Mint
05-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
US man moved to Bengaluru at 22 to sell burritos - his brand now makes $23 million a year: 'Nothing is predictable'
During a study abroad programme in India in 2010, Bert Mueller spent part of his time living with a host family in Jaipur. Alongside fellow international students, he brought along some food from the United States to share with his host family - but the reception wasn't quite what he hoped. 'They didn't like it very much,' Mueller was quoted as saying by CNBC. In contrast, one of his classmates had a much more enthusiastic response to the food she offered. 'One of my friends was of Mexican origin and she would make chips and salsa and beans and tortillas,' he explains. 'One day I came over to her house and I saw she'd made this food for her family she was living with and they were loving the food.' At the time, Mueller had no plans of becoming an entrepreneur - his academic background at The College of William & Mary was in music and public policy. But seeing a family embrace Mexican-style cuisine for the first time sparked an idea. 'Something clicked in my head that maybe this was something I could do — I could bring Mexican-inspired cuisine to India,' he told the outlet. After completing his studies, Mueller, then 22, returned to India and launched California Burrito, a fast-casual restaurant serving Southern California-style burritos. Twelve years on from opening the inaugural outlet, the brand now boasts 103 locations across India. Mueller says his decision to choose India for his study abroad experience stemmed from his desire to go against the grain. 'I wanted to go somewhere that was radically different than the US and so I decided that India was the place to be given that, first off, I loved Indian food and second, people spoke English,' he explains. While some peers struggled to adjust to the cultural shift, Mueller embraced it. 'Nothing is predictable,' he says. 'Every day is different and so if you find monotony dull, if you find comfort boring, then India is a perfect place to be.' Following his graduation in 2011, he made the bold decision to pursue his restaurant vision and introduce Mexican cuisine to the Indian market. Together with two childhood friends — who later stepped away from the venture and returned to the US - Mueller selected Bengaluru as the site of their first outlet. The city's status as an IT hub made it an ideal location, as many locals had travelled to the United States and were familiar with Mexican-inspired food. Mueller initially estimated he'd need $100,000 to launch the first restaurant but opted to raise $250,000 from family and friends to be on the safe side. In its first year, the Bengaluru outlet generated approximately $500,000 in revenue, as per documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. That initial funding also allowed him to open two additional outlets. Since its founding in 2012, California Burrito has expanded to cities including Chennai, Hyderabad, and Delhi. In 2024, the brand reported $23 million in revenue. 'I never felt like quitting' The road to success wasn't without complications. One of Mueller's earliest setbacks involved a key hire. 'The biggest challenge was that the person we had hired at the beginning to run our entire operation and help us out was a very crooked individual,' he says. Mueller had brought on board a former area manager from another chain, whose background seemed promising. 'He was very well educated,' he explains. 'He spoke great English, so it was easy to communicate with him. And he was very helpful. He would drive us around to find vendors. He would recommend vendors. It made our lives much easier because we were 22-years-old in this foreign land with no knowledge of how to operate.' However, it soon became clear the man was exploiting the business. He was charging vendors double, alerting government inspectors, and eventually attempted to launch his own burrito business — which ultimately failed. Despite the betrayal, Mueller remained focused. 'My mom is a marathon runner, and I have that trait in me,' he says. 'You have to keep going until you've reached the finish line. And I never felt like quitting.' Though he initially intended to stay in India for only five years, that plan evolved. By the end of that period, it became evident that the business needed to control more of its own supply chain — including ingredient production. Today, the company works with five chicken suppliers and has planted 500 avocado trees — though some were unfortunately trampled by elephants. Efforts to cultivate tomatillos in Karnataka were also derailed by severe rainfall. These agricultural endeavours led Mueller to shift his mindset. Investing in the farming side of the business prompted him to begin 'thinking in decades,' he says. As for returning to the US Mueller doesn't see that happening anytime soon. 'I don't have an exit date planned in my mind. I love India. India feels like home to me and being home, you don't think so much about leaving.' First Published: 5 May 2025, 07:24 AM IST
CNBC
02-05-2025
- Business
- CNBC
I left the U.S. for India to open a burrito restaurant—it brought in $23M last year: Here's the biggest mistake I made along the way
For the opening of its 100th location, the Bangalore-based burrito chain restaurant California Burrito priced everything on their menu at 100 rupees. The deal went viral, says founder Bert Mueller. "We wound up with these incredible lines out of the stores because too many people had showed up," Mueller says. Mueller started California Burrito in 2012 when he was just 22-years-old. The idea came to him when he was studying abroad in India for a semester during college. One of his classmates of Mexican origin brought her host family Mexican food and they absolutely loved it. "Something clicked in my head that maybe this was something I could do — I could bring Mexican-inspired cuisine to India," he says. Today California Burrito has more than 100 locations and last year it brought in $23 million in revenue. But Mueller admits that he made some missteps along the way. One of them, he says, was not spending any money on marketing. Events like the 100th-location celebration just weren't a priority to Mueller during the early days of California Burrito. "Marketing was something we totally underinvested in and really didn't start spending on until Covid," Mueller says. Mueller and his businesses partners, two childhood friends who have since left the company and returned to the U.S., picked Bangalore, the fourth-largest city in the country, for the restaurant's first location. It being an IT hub meant that many residents had traveled to the United States and had likely tried Mexican or Mexican-adjacent food. Mueller estimated it would cost $100,000 U.S. dollars to open his first store, so he raised $250,000 from friends and family "to be careful," he says. The first location earned about $500,000 USD during the first year, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. And that original $250,000 in funding ended up being enough for Mueller to open two more stores. One of the reasons Mueller didn't spend on marketing initially was because he wasn't sure how or if it would effect the bottom line. Seeing how the pandemic decreased foot traffic, Mueller knew the store needed to invest in some sort of online presence. Today, he says, they spend about 4% of their budget on marketing. During its 100th-location celebration, Mueller hired influencers to promote the deal. That day California Burrito earned eight times its normal business. "I wish we had done this earlier — done marketing earlier," he says.
