1 week Ago By Priyadarshini Singh
In 2010, Bert Mueller, a young American came to India. He was a music student with an ambition to become a film music composer. However, his journey to India rerouted his entire life’s journey.
From being a student in India to founding a 200-crore food business empire, his story of persistence and cosmopolitanism is exemplary. This is yet another anecdote of bringing together cultures of the world through food. His journey into the world of restaurants started when he was 6 years old when he opened a small fake restaurant in his house.
His interest in different cuisines kept lingering in his mind, till he found the perfect market and the perfect opportunity to start the ‘Californio Burritos’ food business here in India. Mueller shared in a podcast episode at GrowthX Inner Circle about his mentors- Kim Lopdrup, the CEO of Red Lobster, and Cindi Bigelow, President and CEO of Bigelow Tea. He said that before acting upon this business idea, he had observed a significant number of Indian customers at Mexican Restaurants and Mexican food fests that took place outside India.
This sparked a hope in his mind that a Mexican food business might just be the right entry choice in the Indian market. He launched his first branch of California Burrito in Bengaluru in 2012 with 3 co-founders. The business has since then grown into a profitable venture with its latest revenue amounting to Rs.
200 crore. Gueller further talked about how they acted upon the changing food trends of India from ‘multi-cuisine to specialized formats’ and ‘from unorganized to organized food sectors’. According to him, the reason for California Burrito’s success lies in understanding the needs of Indian consumers when it comes to street food choices.
He observed that Indian customers prefer fresh food, and that happens to align with their in-store preparation culture. He further mentioned that customers also preferred healthy food options. So to cater to these customers, he gave them the liberty to add veggies and protein as per their dietary needs in their food orders.
He envisions the product to deliver a dining experience similar to that of the US and Mexico. He always strives to provide Indian customers with an authentic Mexican flavor and to fulfill that vision, he even began farming tomatillos, Hass Avocado, and beans in India itself. He has also hired an agronomist to achieve the authentic Mexican flavor in his burritos.
Currently, California Burrito is successfully operating in four cities- New Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai with over 85 outlets across these locations. For Bert Mueller, his resilience, persistence, and vision for the startup paved the way for his company’s success. Despite seeing a pronounced dip in sales revenue from four crore to 25 lakh in the Covid lockdown period, his ‘war-time leadership and decision-making skills’ saved the day.
The journey to building a 200-crore food business empire as a foreigner in India was not a cakewalk, but Mueller came forth with his appreciation of different cultures. His passion to bring that love to his products eventually won many hearts. Californio Burrito, as he says, is a healthy choice for any foodie out there who is looking for affordable options that taste good and don’t compromise on health.
(Disclaimer: The story is based on the podcast on the YouTube platform. Suggestions, views, and opinions given by the users are their own. These do not represent the views of TN Network.
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