"In more than 25 years in the food industry, I've seen small, independent bakers and candy makers forced out of business or struggle to make a living as a result of the influx of large mass producers," said Steve Rothschild, eTreats.com founder and president.

"eTreats.com provides an outlet where these local shops can reach out across the country and deliver their incredible gourmet products to the public."

Orders through eTreats are fulfilled directly by each retailer. "There is no warehouse with stacks and stacks of gift baskets," said Rothschild. "Each order is hand filled, just as if you were placing the order in person."

The eTreats merchants include Boston's Cake Art and Confection bakery, Cheese Cake City in San Francisco and fruit market Going Bananas in Boston, among others.

"Having a small, privately-owned company, it is often difficult to get out and promote ourselves on a broad scale.

eTreats.com has provided us with a vehicle to increase our sales, as well as allow us to have an exposure in an arena that we would otherwise not be in" said Frank Scire of Going Bananas.

eTreats.com is built on the HipHip Software MerchandiZer system, which utilizes industry-standard security measures, including SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), and interfaces with ICVerify to process credit cards.