AMCON Completes Acquisition of Hawaiian Natural Water.

Business Editors

OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 21, 2001

AMCON Distributing Company, a wholesale distributor of consumer products (AMEX:DIT) announced today that is has completed the acquisition of Hawaiian Natural Water Co., Inc. (OTCBB:HNWC).

AMCON, which is based out of Omaha, Nebraska, has provided assistance to Hawaiian Natural in creating a new, first-class bottling plan on the Big Island that will increase output from 40,000 cases to over 250,000 cases a month to help meet growing consumer demand.

"We acquired Hawaiian Natural because it is a quality product with a big future that fits beautifully into our growing distribution business," said William F. "Bill" Wright, Chairman and CEO of AMCON. "We distribute many products and we wanted to healthful, attractive, quality product of our own."

The merger makes Hawaiian Natural a wholly-owned subsidiary of AMCON. Shareholders of Hawaiian Natural will receive AMCON shares, which are listed on the American Stock Exchange under the symbol "DIT."

Distributed under the Hawaiian Springs trademark, Hawaiian Natural water is a premium brand that is naturally produced and bottled at the source.

"We believe it can fill a growing niche market that seeks high quality natural water from recognized and respected sources," Wright said.

AMCON is a leading wholesale distributor of consumer products including beverages, candy, tobacco, groceries, food service, frozen and chilled foods, and health and beauty care products. It also owns 13 health and natural product retail stores.

This news release contains forward looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties and which reflect management's current beliefs and estimates of future economic circumstances, industry conditions, Company performance and financial results. A number of factors could affect the future results of the Company and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the Company's forward looking statements. Moreover, past financial performance should not be considered a reliable indicator of future performance. Accordingly, the Company claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to all such forward-looking statements.

Visit AMCON Distributing Company's web site at: www.amcon-dist.com