California Burrito, an India-focused chain co-founded by CEO Bert Mueller, has grown from a study-abroad idea in Jaipur into a business with more than 130 stores and millions in annual revenue.
Elevation Capital's portfolio page lists more than 130 stores across more than five cities. A William & Mary Reves Center newsletter says the company made $38 million in the financial year from April 2024 to March 2025. In an April 2026 interview with Mint, Mueller put revenue for that year at about ₹337 crore.
An April 2025 CNBC Make It profile described the chain as a $23 million business, but did not specify the period behind that figure, making it difficult to compare with the later fiscal-year total. Store counts also reflect different snapshots: a January 2026 William & Mary alumni story said the chain had 125 locations as of December, while Mint counted 130 in April 2026.
Mueller studied music and public policy at William & Mary and joined a study-abroad program in India in 2010. In Jaipur, a Mexican classmate cooked for their group and host families. Mueller told Mint that he noticed the Indian hosts enjoyed the meal, saying its flavors were “not too startlingly different.”
After working at Moe’s Southwest Grill, Mueller returned to India with two college friends in December 2011. California Burrito was established in Bengaluru the following year, Mint reported. The company initially opened restaurants in tech parks for office workers. Mint said burrito bowls appealed in part because rice-based meals were familiar to local customers, even as the flavors were different.
The menu added vegetarian choices while aiming to retain the cuisine’s expected flavors. Sourcing ingredients at scale presented another challenge. Mueller told William & Mary that, unlike his experience at Moe’s, in India “for one ingredient we could have five vendors.” Mint reported that California Burrito later worked with Namdhari’s Fresh to grow avocados and tomatillos in Karnataka’s Kodagu district.
The early focus on office districts left the business exposed when offices closed during the pandemic. Mueller told Mint that monthly sales fell from about ₹4 crore in March 2020 to about ₹25 lakh after the closures. The company shifted toward delivery and neighborhood locations, and Mint reported that sales had returned to pre-pandemic levels by late 2021.
Mint and Moneycontrol reported that California Burrito raised ₹100 crore to ₹120 crore from Elevation Capital in September 2025, with the funds intended for expansion and operations.
