Exhibitors poured the coffee and handed out cheese and chocolate samples, offering a final day of food and beverages for attendees this year. Yes, unfortunately: final.

The 2015 Summer Fancy Food Show has come to a close, but not without leaving a tasty trail in its path. We’re not just talking about the food here, but the sessions and trends that are guiding the industry’s future.

Trendspotters at the show — made up of food writers and consultants — named the top five trends this year. We stopped by several booths and talked to industry members Monday who also shared trends.

• Gazpacho to Go (i.e. The Splendid Spoon’s Market Gazpacho, Gina Cucina's Watermelon Habanero Gazpacho, Bodega & Co. Mucho Gazpacho's Green Gazpacho, and Tio Gazpacho’s Gazpacho de Sol)
• Can’t Beat Beets (i.e. Love Beets’ Beet-Blueberry Bar, Health-Ade's Beet Kombucha, Gringo Jack's Beet, Orange & Quinoa Salsa, and Eat Well Embrace Life’s Beet Hummus)
• Flower Power (i.e. Belvoir Fruit Farms' Elderflower & Rose Lemonade, Masala Pop’s Saffron Rose Popcorn, Vosges Haut-Chocolat's Blood Orange Hibiscus Caramel Marshmallows, and Rogue Creamery’s La-Di-Da Lavender Cheese)
• Cocktail Culture (i.e. Colonel Pabst’s All Malt Amber-Lager Worcestershire Sauce, Bissell Maple Farm's Pappy & Company Bourbon Barrel-Aged Syrup, Nancy Silverton's Nancy's Fancy Gelato's The Manhattan, and Brooklyn Brine Co.’s Hop-Pickles)
• Maize Craze (i.e. Pipsnacks’ Pipcorn, Off the Cob's Sweet Corn Tortilla Chips, Pop Art Snacks' Tandoori Yogurt Popcorn, and Kiddylicious’s Sweetcorn Rice Rounds)

Other trends included ginger, maple, and newer ice creams. With an expansive 180,000 products, a host of other trends loomed large as we circled the show.

Buyer perspectives

While much of the obvious focus is on the vendors, buyers are a critical part of what happens with the products after the show.

Doug Stewart, the director of marketing and vice president at grocer Walter Stewart’s Market, said its target audience is busy moms looking for healthy family choices. Stewart pointed out gluten-free healthy trends, as well as cold-press juices.

Rick Michener, the director of prepared foods at Balducci’s, said the smaller state pavilions at the show were just as important as those devoted to individual countries. He said consumers are interested in knowing where their food originated — a consistent industry trend.

Looking for complimentary products

Tyler Swoyer, private equity deal sourcing manager at Consolidated Investment Group, said his group mission was adding complimentary products to its existing portfolio. Among its portfolio? Funkychunky, creator of personalized gifts and artisanal gourmet snack items, according to CIG. Specifically, it’s considering companies with around $10 million+ in revenue.

As for Non-GMO Project verification? Swoyer said that it doesn’t necessarily matter if a product has this verification. "I think quality is the No.1 key," he said.

A Shark Tank exclusive

Barbara Corcoran of ABC’s "Shark Tank" made an appearance. She told the small group at a Q&A, "You should be eating, guys." (Aside: Don’t worry, Ms. Corcoran: it was impossible to avoid food).

She’s invested in both Scratch & Grain Baking Co. as well as Pipsnacks.

"I think I didn’t know I had an interest in food until I started looking at my portfolio and realized it’s 80% food," she said.

On entrepreneurs: Do they have a twist? Is this person capable of hitting the finish line? #SFFS15

— David Oliver (@davidolivereats) June 30, 2015

Non-GMO: It’s a process

No, this wasn’t a discussion debating the safety of GMOs, but focused on the non-GMO certification process.

The process of receiving Non-GMO Project Verified certification can take years for companies, like Marich Confectionery, one of the companies represented at the discussion, which isn’t yet certified.

"We start from what we know we can use" - Angela Pellegrini, Saffron Road Foods #SFFS15

— David Oliver (@davidolivereats) June 30, 2015

Bottom line? It makes sense to get ahead of the game if a company is looking to go the non-GMO route.

Generational differences + specialty food future

Suzy Badaracco, president of Culinary Tides, Inc., a private trends forecasting think tank, compared different generations — from The Baby Boomers to Generation Z — including statistics on habits of each one. For example: data from Jefferies, AlixPartners shows 61% of Baby Boomers think of brands as "extremely" or "somewhat important," ahead of 47% of millennials. She also highlighted trends to watch out for over the next few years, and how they could indicate economic patterns.

What’s on tap next

Next week we are looking at whether an acquisition necessarily mean a small brand loses its independence. Not according to the chief sales and marketing officer at Enjoy Life Foods, Joel Warady: "We’re still a standalone entity." Mondelez recently acquired the company.

Joel Warady of @enjoylifefoods pleased with acquisition by @MDLZ - operating as standalone entity #SSFS15 pic.twitter.com/hgy3XEHED7

— David Oliver (@davidolivereats) June 30, 2015

What about updating safety protocols to comply with larger brands? Jeff Grogg, the managing director of JPG Resources spoke to us about GFSI certification, something a smaller company may have not have encountered

Plus, coming tomorrow: the coolest booths that caught our eye. Stay tuned — and hungry.