ഇന്ത്യയിൽ മെക്സിക്കൻ രുചിയുടെ തരംഗമായി ബെർട്ട് മുള്ളർ: 190 കോടിയുടെ ബിസിനസ് സാമ്രാജ്യം വളർന്ന വഴി

Bert Mueller, an American who came to India in 2011, is known for his popular Mexican fast-casual restaurant called California Burrito. He started in Bengaluru, and since 2012, he has opened locations in Chennai, Hyderabad, and Delhi.

Today, 12 years after opening its first brick-and-mortar location, California Burrito has 103 locations across the country. By 2024, his California Burrito brought in $23 million in revenue, CNBC Make It reported.

Who is Bert Mueller, and how did he build a $23 million California Burrito chain? Here's what you need to know:

Who is Bert Mueller?

Bert Mueller is an American entrepreneur and co-founder of California Burrito, a popular Mexican-inspired fast-food chain in India. He is now the Director at Burrito Restaurants, as per his LinkedIn profile.

Bert Mueller's education and career: He completed a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Public Policy from Williams and Mary College.

He previously worked as a composer in the film industry (independent films and documentaries), according to his LinkedIn profile.

How did he built a $23 million California Burrito chain

Bert Mueller had first come to India as part of his study abroad trip in 2010. He 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 said in conversation with CNBC Make It, of the food he brought from the United States.

He, however, noticed that 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 was quoted as saying. "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."

Seeing a family who had never had Mexican cuisine enjoy it so much gave Mueller an idea even though he had no plans to start a business in the first place.

"Something clicked in my head that maybe this was something I could do -- I could bring Mexican-inspired cuisine to India," he said.

After finishing his degree, Mueller, 22 at the time, returned to India to open California Burrito, a fast-casual Southern California-style burrito restaurant.

Mueller and his business partners, two childhood friends who have since left the company and returned to the US, picked Bengaluru for the restaurant's first location.

Bengaluru being an IT hub meant that many residents had traveled to the US and had likely tried Mexican or Mexican-adjacent food.

Mueller estimated it would cost $100,000 US dollars to open his first store, so he raised $250,000 from friends and family "to be careful," Mueller told CNBC Make It.

According to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It, California Burrito's first location earned about $500,000 during the first year. 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 report added.

'Get the flavours right'

Mueller faced a challenge that went beyond opening new outlets. It was sourcing ingredients that could deliver the taste Mueller associated with Mexican and Californian cuisine, the Times of India reported.

He explained that Indian tomatoes, onions and beans can differ considerably in flavour from those available in the United States.

Developing a reliable supply chain, therefore, became an important part of building the brand.

"Over the past 13 years, we've worked hard to make the food taste like you would get it in California, or taste like you get it in Mexico," he was quoted as saying.

In 2018, the company imported around 500 Hass avocado trees from California and planted them to support its ingredient requirements. The effort faced an unexpected setback when elephants entered the farm and trampled around 60 trees, the report added.

According to CNBC Make It, Mueller's original plan was to only stay in India for five years, he said. But after the initial five years, he realised it would be better if the company grew its own ingredients.

The company grew tomatillos in Karnataka, but "a huge amount of rain came and wiped out all of them," he said.

Now California Burrito sources from five different chicken suppliers and planted 500 avocado trees, some of which were trampled by elephants.

The experience highlighted the practical difficulties of building an agricultural supply chain in India. Nevertheless, Mueller continued working towards a food offering that could appeal to Indian customers while retaining a distinct flavour profile.

He said the challenge was to create food that was approachable for Indian consumers without losing the characteristics that set Mexican-inspired cuisine apart.

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."