Indigo won’t make the farmers as much money as tobacco, but it’s so much easier, said Stony Creek founder Sarah Bellos. Sarah Bellos speaks at the ribbon cutting of the new Stony Creek Colors ...

The British owner of this factory can be seen standing between two tanks, wearing a white pith helmet. After 1900 synthetic indigo took the place of the natural dye.

One way or another, you have to remove the oxygen, otherwise the blue dye won’t adhere to the fibers. So the indigo leaves are fermented in a big vat. The thick liquid that results is greenish ...