Paraguay’s Kaffe’i secured the 95th spot in the 2026 ranking, marking its second consecutive appearance among South America’s 100 Best Coffee Shops. The Asunción-based café represents Paraguay once again in the regional ranking, announced on Sunday, 20 September, in Quito, Ecuador. Kaffe’i means small cafe in a mix of Guaraní language with the use of “‘i” and the word kaffe than means coffee in several Germanic languages.
More than 4,200 coffee shops across South America were considered for the 2026 selection. This represents a significant increase from approximately 1,800 establishments considered in the previous edition. Kaffe’i remains the first and only Paraguayan coffee shop to have appeared on the regional list.
The recognition continues a rapid rise for the café and micro-roastery, which was founded in Asunción’s Historic Centre. Kaffe’i first entered the ranking in 2025, finishing 89th in South America.
A second consecutive recognition
For Paraguay’s Kaffe’i co-founder Luis Wong, appearing on the list for a second year carries a different significance from the initial recognition.
“For us, it means that consistent work has an impact,” Wong tells The Asunción Times. “The first year was a huge surprise. Being there again this year confirms that it was not by chance, but the result of the work of an entire team. It also represents a lot for Paraguay. Kaffe’i was born in the Historic Centre of Asunción with the idea of demonstrating that we can also create international-level projects from here.”
According to Wong, the recognition extends beyond those working at the speciality coffee shop. “This recognition belongs to the entire team, but also to our customers, producers, partners and all the people who accompany us from the other side of the counter.”
More than the coffee
The regional selection considers several aspects of a coffee shop experience rather than focusing exclusively on the coffee itself. These include coffee quality, barista work, customer service, concept, innovation, atmosphere, gastronomy and pastries, sustainability and community impact. For Kaffe’i, its first international recognition also became an opportunity to examine where the business could improve.
“We learned that quality is not only in the coffee. It is in the whole experience: the service, the atmosphere, the food, the pastries, the processes and, above all, the people.”
The café currently works with coffees from Colombia, Bolivia and Brazil while maintaining connections with small Paraguayan producers. Its concept combines speciality coffee with food, design, service and a strong focus on community.
Growing without losing Kaffe’i’s identity
Being recognised in South America’s 100 Best Coffee Shops again has not changed the café’s focus on continued development, according to Wong.
“We also learned to listen more and not to settle. We continue looking for better coffees, improving our processes and training the team, but without losing the essence of Kaffe’i: being a welcoming place where coffee is important, but where people are at the centre.”
For Kaffe’i, returning to the list offers another measure of how the project has developed since opening in Asunción’s Historic Centre. The recognition also brings further international attention to Paraguay’s emerging specialty coffee scene.
