From college curiosity to culinary empire: The rise of California Burrito in India

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.

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.