Meet the Founders
Karina Salvador
— Co-Founder | Operations & Ethical Standards
Karina holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources from Argentina, is a certified coach, and brings over 15 years of HR experience across multiple companies. Her background includes training, compensation, and HR compliance—bringing structure, fairness, and ethical labor standards to everything she builds. Her work is guided by human dignity and human rights, with a focus on creating real pathways to dignified, sustainable work.
She built Dallia by fusing three realities into one stronger solution: Gerardo’s deep connection to Bangladesh, her expertise in building fair and structured work systems, and the urgent need for stable employment for women rebuilding their lives. Karina leads the operational foundation behind Dallia—training, ethical work standards, and the systems that keep both product quality consistent and impact accountable.
Gerardo Toledo
— Co-Founder | Bangladesh Partnerships
Gerardo is a U.S.-based endodontist, trained in chaplaincy, and has lived in the United States for over 25 years. His connection to Bangladesh is deeply personal: he lived there for four years (1994–1998), serving as a missionary dentist and building long-term relationships with local communities, leaders, and trusted partners.
He founded and led a U.S.-based nonprofit focused on Bangladesh for 13 years, gaining deep cultural insight and firsthand understanding of the realities women face when rebuilding their lives. He travels to Bangladesh once a year to stay closely connected to our partners and the communities behind Dallia. He recently stepped away from nonprofit leadership to focus fully on building Dallia, keeping our sourcing and partnerships grounded, consistent, and accountable.
We’re Karina Salvador and Gerardo Toledo—husband and wife, and the couple behind Dallia, based in California, USA. Dallia was envisioned in January 2025 and will officially launch in January 2026.
Together, we combine on-the-ground knowledge in Bangladesh with professional structure and ethical standards—so retailers can trust our supply chain, product quality, and mission integrity.
Dallia is built to be both beautiful and scalable: premium jute pieces with consistent production, a clear story, and real impact.
