A Company Now Makes Toyota Sienna-Branded Ice Cream Sandwiches

• Graeter’s is an ice cream and baked goods company operating in the U.S. Midwest.

• One of its products is sandwiches made of chocolate chip cookies and premium ice cream, which it calls chip wheelies.

• A special edition, Toyota Sienna-branded variety of Chip wheels is now available in the U.S. at $86 for a 12-pack.

The automotive industry has long generated a wide variety of seemingly unrelated derivative products, from apparel to perfume and household accessories, but food-based automotive partnerships are rarer.

While Volkswagen’s Currywurst sausages are well known by enthusiasts of the German brand, few other similar products have proved popular.

Nevertheless, Toyota made a deal with Graeter’s, who can now sell Toyota Sienna Chip wheels, a kind of premium ice cream sandwiches.

Graeter’s is an ice cream and baked goods company that was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1870 and is still operating in the American Midwest in the “superpremium” ice cream market.

This recognition comes from its “French pot” process, which limits the quantities of ice cream that can be made in a single batch to just 2.5 US gallons (9.5 L). This process also creates a much denser ice cream, which typically contains only 20 to 25 % air instead of the more typical 50 %.

It isn’t entirely clear why Toyota chose to partner with Graeter’s in that way, but the ice cream company is quick to point out that the minivan’s integrated minifridge, standard on the Platinum trim level, perfectly fits a 12-pack of its Sienna Chip Wheels.

While the main distinguishing feature of the Toyota Sienna edition Chip wheelies is obviously the box art, which sees the food product replace the wheels of the minivan, their flavour is also unique.

Indeed, instead of the vanilla, chocolate or black raspberry ice cream filling of the regular chip wheelies, the Sienna chip wheels are made of salted caramel ice cream.

In addition, the traditional chocolate chip cookies are replaced with double chocolate chip cookies and the sides of the ice cream middle are covered in chocolate flavoured confetti candies.

While minivans and ice cream products are typically associated with families, Graeter’s premium positioning means these Sienna Chip Wheels are a delicacy to be enjoyed fully rather than a cheap treat you can bring out at a child’s birthday party.

In fact, the Toyota Sienna limited edition Chip Wheels are only available on Graeter’s website in the United States at $86 for a 12-pack.

At current exchange rates, that amounts to almost $10 CDN per ice cream sandwich.

Surprisingly, this price is not artificially inflated just because of the Toyota partnership, as Graeter’s “happy birthday” 12-packs of Chip Wheelies are also priced at $86 while the variety packs go for $84.