diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 2e7c3802a8..be5f8a4f6a 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ addons:
       - libsdl2-dev
       - libepoxy-dev
   homebrew:
+    update: true
     packages:
       - glib
       - pixman
diff --git a/build.sh b/build.sh
index ffaed9437f..c4ae6bac14 100755
--- a/build.sh
+++ b/build.sh
@@ -48,6 +48,8 @@ case "$(uname -s)" in # adjust compilation option based on platform
         echo 'Compiling for MacOS…'
         sys_cflags='-march=native'
         sys_opts='--disable-cocoa'
+        # necessary to find libffi, which is required by gobject
+        export PKG_CONFIG_PATH="${PKG_CONFIG_PATH}/usr/local/opt/libffi/lib/pkgconfig"
         ;;
     CYGWIN*|MINGW*|MSYS*)
         echo 'Compiling for Windows…'