AMCON Distributing Company Announces Fully Diluted Earnings Per Common Share of $2.60 for the Second Fiscal Quarter Ended March 31, 2009.

CHICAGO -- AMCON Distributing Company ("AMCON") (AMEX:DIT), an Omaha, Nebraska based consumer products company is pleased to announce fully diluted earnings per share of $2.60 for the second fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2009.

"We are very pleased with the results our management team was able to deliver this quarter for our shareholders. We had a very challenging quarter from an operations perspective. In February 2009, Congress passed legislation which significantly increased the excise taxes on cigarettes and tobacco products. Not only did this disrupt normal buying patterns among our customers, it also imposed a floor stocks tax on any tobacco products we had in inventory at the end of the quarter," said Christopher Atayan, AMCON's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Our management team had an intense focus on meeting the rapidly changing requirements of our customers during the period up to the increase. Our collaborative culture based on long-term relationships has served us well in these difficult economic times. We continue to implement our focused strategic plan which emphasizes a conservative posture. While we are mindful of the challenges ahead, we continue to invest in the long-term future of the Company."

AMCON's wholesale distribution business reported revenues of $185.9 million and operating income before depreciation and amortization of $4.4 million in the second fiscal quarter of 2009. AMCON's retail health food business reported revenues of $9.6 million and operating income before depreciation and amortization of $1.1 million for the same period.

Kathleen Evans, President of AMCON's wholesale distribution business commented, "Our customers continue to look to AMCON to help them increase their bottom line with new products and initiatives. We had a very successful trade show again this year which enabled our customers to benefit directly from our value added services. In particular, our expanded offerings in food service continue to be well received."

Eric Hinkefent, President of AMCON's retail health food business commented, "We are weathering the tough market conditions by continuing to emphasize superior quality and selection at an attractive price point. This has been our practice for 65 years and it has served us through tough times in the past. We continue to believe the natural foods industry has a positive trend."

"Our emphasis on maintaining a high degree of liquidity served us well this quarter" said Andrew Plummer, AMCON's Chief Financial Officer. "This enabled us to meet our customers increased needs for products in advance of the tax increase and deliver product just in time as they needed it. Fuel price volatility, the potential for further tax increases and continuing economic weaknesses are headwinds we continue to face. Our careful attention to working capital management has served our shareholders well. We reduced our inventory as much as possible during the quarter to minimize our tax liability and expect our debt levels to rise in the coming quarter as we move back to a more normalized level of inventory. Our liability under the floor stocks tax is estimated to be $1.7 million and is due by July 31, 2009."

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 with distribution centers in Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. Chamberlin's Natural Foods, Inc. and Health Food Associates, Inc., both wholly-owned subsidiaries of The Healthy Edge, Inc., operate health and natural product retail stores in central Florida (6), Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma (4). The retail stores operate under the names Chamberlin's Market & Cafe and Akins Natural Foods Market.

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 including, without limitation, availability of sufficient cash resources to conduct its business and meet its capital expenditures needs. 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.com

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