How long does allspice take to bear and how are the berries processed?

Allspice is a slow tree that usually starts bearing some years after planting and builds up yield as it matures, then bears for many years. The spice is the unripe green berry, harvested before it fully ripens, because fully ripe berries lose aroma. After harvest the berries are dried in the sun until they turn brown and hard and rattle, then cleaned and graded. The leaves can be distilled for oil as a side product. Yield per tree rises with age, keep numbers as a range and verify locally. Because the market is niche, the key is harvesting at the right unripe stage and drying well so the aroma is strong, since that is what the few specialty buyers look for.