Karliana José Aguilera is Venezuelan and has been **living in Lanzarote for 20 years**. With studies in dental assistant and dental hygienist, she worked in an island clinic until she decided she wanted to start her own business.
His first business on the island was a playground in Arrecife to foster the creativity of the little ones, which after eight years of operation had to close due to the pandemic.
“I then decided to study emotional coaching and a Master's in Neuro-Linguistic Programming, which led me to agriculture. I bought a farm in the municipality of Yaiza and I have been a farmer for three years,” Aguilera shares in an interview with Ekonomus.
After registering its brand Batatas Roferas, in 2025 it began to market sweet potatoes chosen one by one so that they could be wrinkled in the same way as potatoes.
Land of Opportunity Award 2025
Your project has been awarded by CaixaBank and the Association for Rural and Fishing Development of Lanzarote (ADERLAN) in the Land of Opportunities 2025 competition in the rural environment of Lanzarote.
“Sweet potatoes weren't usually commercialized for wrinkling. I started experimenting with the smaller sweet potatoes, which are sweeter and more compact, until I got ones that could be wrinkled like potatoes,” Aguilera explains.
"I select them one by one, because they also have to be round or oval, they can't be elongated," shares the entrepreneur, who complements her production with that of other organic farmers on the island.
Aguilera confirms that her rofera sweet potatoes can be wrinkled just like potatoes: "the sweet potato is more compact and a bit larger, but you would do it the same way and **they go perfectly with the sancocho**".“Illusion, passion, and desire are my daily drivers. My goal is to grow and bet on this very special product, the Lanzarote sweet potato, which is unique and has wonderful nutritional properties,” she shares.
Aguilera defines his sweet potatoes as "ideal for mashing, creamy, and with an intense flavor, a gourmet and artisanal product, with careful selection that guarantees quality, identity, and excellence in each batch".
Where can they be bought?
Aguilera's wrinkled sweet potatoes can be found in fruit shops in Tías, in Roper, and at Chacón in Arrecife.
They can also be ordered directly through their social media, and soon through their website, which is currently under construction. Their goal for 2026 is to distribute them throughout all of the Canary Islands.
The entrepreneur expresses her gratitude to the **farmers** of Lanzarote and the **Cabildo Farm**, explaining that she belongs to the **Aprolan** association, "which has been a great support on my path as a farmer," and that her mentor, **César Viñas**, "the greatest sweet potato farmer and exporter in Lanzarote," has "guided me through this process."Looking ahead, Aguilera plans to purchase machinery to also produce **sweet potato flour**: "When I started in agriculture, I realized that the **larger sweet potatoes**, which are perfect for making flour, are discarded or given to animals."
