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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.
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
26-04-2025
- Business
- CNBC
35-year-old left the U.S. for India 13 years ago to open a Southern California-style burrito restaurant: 'I never felt like quitting'
For part of his study abroad trip to India in 2010 Bert Mueller stayed with a host family in Jaipur. Mueller and some of his classmates who were also studying abroad brought their respective families food from their home countries. "They didn't like it very much," Mueller says of the food he brought from the United States. But he noticed another classmate had the exact opposite experience. "One of my friends was of Mexican origin and she would make chips and salsa and beans and tortillas," he says. "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." Mueller hadn't really considered starting a business — his major at The College of William & Mary was music and public policy — but seeing a family who had never had Mexican cuisine enjoy it so much gave him an idea. "Something clicked in my head that maybe this was something I could do — I could bring Mexican-inspired cuisine to India," he says. After finishing his degree, Mueller, 22 at the time, returned to India to open California Burrito, a fast-casual Southern California-style burrito restaurant. Today, 12 years after opening the first brick-and-mortar, there are 103 locations across the country. Mueller attributes his decision to study abroad in India to being a "contrarian." "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 says. While some of his classmates found the cultural differences off-putting, Mueller thrived. "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." After graduating in 2011, he decided to actually execute the vision he'd had during undergrad and start a Mexican restaurant in India. 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. Since 2012, Mueller has continued to open up locations in Chennai, Hyderabad, and Delhi. In 2024, California Burrito brought in $23 million in revenue. The brand's success came despite some unique hardships. "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," Mueller says. He hired an area manager who had worked at other chain restaurants. "He was very well educated," he says. "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." Mueller soon found out the man he hired was charging suppliers double the cost of products and had plans of replicating California Burrito. "He would call government officials to the store and say, we weren't doing X, Y, and Z," Mueller says. "He would collude with vendors to do things. And then later he went off and started his own burrito restaurant, which failed." The setback didn't deter him from making California Burrito as successful as possible. "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." Mueller's original plan was to only stay in India for five years, he says. But after those initial five years, he realized it would be better if the company grew its own ingredients. Now California Burrito sources from five different chicken suppliers and planted 500 avocado trees, some of which were trampled by elephants. The company grew tomatillos in Karnataka, but "a huge amount of rain came and wiped out all of them," he says. Investing more in the farming aspect of the supply chain had Mueller start "thinking in decades," he says. And, as for now, his stay in India feels indefinite: "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."
